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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historicai  IVIicroreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notas/Notas  tachniques  at  bibliographiquas 


Tha  Institute  has  attamptad  to  obtain  tha  bast 
original  copy  availabia  for  filming.  Faaturas  of  this 
copy  which  may  ba  bibliographicaily  unique, 
which  may  altar  any  of  tha  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checlced  below. 


□ 


D 
D 


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Coloured  covers/ 
Couwerture  de  couleur 


I      I    Covers  damaged/ 


Couverture  endommagta 

Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaurte  et/ou  pellicula 

Cover  title  missing/ 

Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 


r~~1    Coloured  maps/ 


Cartes  g6ographiques  en  couleur 


□   Coloured  inic  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 

I      I   Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 


Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 

Bound  with  other  material/ 
Reli6  avac  d'autres  documents 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  re  liure  sarrie  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  le  long  de  la  marge  intirieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certainas  pages  blanches  aJoutAes 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  la  taxte, 
ma!s,  lorsqu  -^  cala  Atait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  At6  filmbjs. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commentairas  supplAmantairas; 


L'Institut  a  microfilm^  le  meilleur  exemplaira 
qu'il  lui  a  6X6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  d6ta!ls 
de  cet  exemplaira  qui  sont  peut-Atre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  m6thode  normala  de  filmaga 
sont  indiqu^s  ci-dessous. 


I     I   Coloured  pages/ 


D 


This  item  is  filmed  at  tha  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  film*  au  taux  de  rMuction  indiquA  ci-dessous. 


Pages  de  couleur 

Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommagias 

Pages  restored  and/oi 

Pages  restaurias  et/ou  pailiculAes 

Pcges  discoloured,  stained  or  foxet 
Pages  d^color^as,  tachaties  ou  piqu6es 

Pages  detached/ 
Pages  ddtachias 

Showthrough/ 
Transparence 

Quality  of  prir 

Qualit^  in6gale  de  I'impression 

Includes  supplementary  matarii 
Comprend  du  material  supplAmantaira 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponible 


I — I  Pages  damaged/ 

I — I  Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 

r^  Pcges  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 

I     I  Pages  detached/ 

r~^  Showthrough/ 

I     I  Quality  of  print  varies/ 

r~|  Includes  supplementary  material/ 

I — I  Only  edition  available/ 


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Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalament  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillat  d'arrata,  una  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  6x6  filmAes  6  nouveau  de  fa^on  6 
obtanir  la  mailleure  image  possible. 


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The  copy  filmed  liere  hat  been  reproduced  thanlcs 
to  the  generosity  of: 

Dana  Porter  Arts  Library 
University  of  Waterloo 

The  images  appearing  here  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 


Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  — »>  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 

IVIaps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


1 

2 

3 

L'exemplaire  film6  f ut  reproduit  grice  ii  la 
g^nArositA  de: 

Dana  Porter  Arts  Library 
University  of  Waterloo 

Les  images  suivantes  ont  ^4  reprodfjites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  at 
de  la  nettett  de  Texemplaire  filmi,  at  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 

Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimte  sont  fiimAs  en  commenpant 
par  le  premier  plat  at  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
derniAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  salon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  filmte  en  commen9ant  par  la 
premiere  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  derniAre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaltra  sur  la 
dernlAre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbols  — ►  signifie  "A  SUIVRE".  le 
symbols  ▼  signifie  "FIN". 

Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  §tre 
filmte  A  des  taux  de  rMuction  diff Arents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Atre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  cliche,  il  est  filmA  A  partir 
tie  I'angie  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  A  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  n6cessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mAthode. 


32X 


1 

2 

3 

.     4 

5 

6 

SAILING  ALONE 
AROUND  THE  WORLD 


! 


' 


A 


The   ''Spray.'l 

From  a  photograph  taken  in  Australiau  \se''»n. 


I 


SAILING  ALONE 
AROUND  THE  WORLD 


By 

Captain  Joshua  Slocum 


Illustrated  by 
THOMAS  FOGARTY  AND  GEORGE  VARIAN 


NEW  YORK 
THE  CENTURY  CO. 


Property  of  the  Library 
University  of  Waterloo 


Oopyrlght,  1899, 190<^  b/ 
Thx  Centubt  Ckk 


Printed  in   U.  S.  A. 


TO   THE    ONE    WHO    SAID! 
*THE    *  SPRAY*  WILL   COME    BACK." 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I 

A.  blue-nose  ancestry  with  Yankee  proclivities  —  Youthful 
fondness  for  the  sea  —  Master  of  the  ship  Northern  Light 
—  Loss  of  the  Aquidneck  —  Return  home  from  Brazil  in 
the  canoe  Liherdade —  The  gift  of  a  "ship*'  — The  re- 
building of  the  Spray  —  Conundrums  in  regard  to  finance 
and  calking—  The  launching  of  the  Spray 


PAOB 


CHAPTER  II 

Failure  as  a  fisherman  —  A  voyage  around  the  world  pro- 
jected—  From  Boston  to  Gloucester — Fitting  out  for 
the  ocean  voyage  —  Half  of  a  cory  for  a  ship's  boat  —  l 
The  run  from  Gloucester  to  Nova  Scotia — A  shaking  up 
in  home  waters  —  Among  old  friends       ....    11 


CHAPTER  HI 

Good-by  to  the  American  coast  —  Off  Sable  Island  in  a  fog 
—  In  the  open  sea  —  The  man  in  the  moon  takes  an  in- 
terest in  the  voyage  —  The  first  fit  of  loneliness  —  The 
Spray  encounters  La  Va^isa  —  A  bottle  of  wine  from 
the  Spaniard —  A  bout  of  words  with  the  captain  of  the 
Java — The  steamship  Olympia  spoken — Arrival  at  the 
^Lzores        (.t        ..«••*. 


23 


CHAPTER  IV 

Squally  weather  in  the  Azores  —  High  living  —  Delirious 
from  cheese  and  plums  —  The  pilot  of  the  Pinta  —  At 
Gibraltar  —  Compliments  exchanged  with  the  British 
navy  —  A  picnic  on  the  Morocco  shore     ...        .37 


li 


I 


VUl 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  V 


PAOB 


Sailing  from  Gibraltar  with  the  assistance  of  her  Majesty's 
tug — The  Spray' s  course  changed  from  the  Suez  Canal 
to  Cape  Horn  —  Chased  by  a  Moorish  pirate  —  A  com- 
parison with  Columbus  —  The  Canary  Islands — The 
Cape  Verde  Islands  —  Sea  life  —  Arrival  at  Pemambuco 
— A  bill  against  the  Brazilian  government  —  Preparing 
for  the  stormy  weather  of  the  cape 50 

CHAPTER  VI 

Departure  from  Rio  de  Jwiueiro  —  The  Spray  ashore  on  the 
sands  of  Uruguay  —  A  narrow  escape  from  shipwreck  — 
The  boy  who  found  a  bloop  —  The  Spray  floated  but 
somewhat  damaged  —  Courtesies  from  the  British  consul 
at  Maldonado  —  A  warm  greeting  at  Montevideo  —  An 
excursion  to  Buenos  Aires  —  Shortening  the  mast  and 
bowsprit 65 

CHAPTER  VII 

"Weighing  anchor  at  Buenos  Aires  —  An  outburst  of  emo- 
tion at  the  mouth  of  the  Plate  —  Submerged  by  a  great 
wave  —  A  stormy  entrance  to  the  strait  -—  Captain  Sam- 
blich's  happy  gift  of  a  bag  of  carpet-tacks  —  Off  Cape 
Froward  —  Chased  by  Indians  from  Fortescue  Bay  —  A 
miss-shot  for  "  Black  Pedro "  —  Taking  in  supplies  of 
wood  and  water  at  Three  Island  Cove  —  Animal  life 


79 


CHAPTER  VIII 

From  Cape  Pillar  iiito  the  Pacific  —  Driven  by  a  tempest 
toward  Cape  Horn  —  Captain  Slocum's  greatest  sea  ad- 
venture —  Beaching  the  strait  again  by  way  of  Cock- 
burn  Channel  —  Some  savages  find  the  carpet-tacks  — 
Danger  from  firebrands  —  A  series  of  fierce  williwaws  — 
Again  sailing  westward 

CHAPTER  IX 

Repairing  the  Spray^s  sails  —  Savages  and  an  obstreperous 
anchor— A   spider-fight  —  An   encounter   with   Black 


98 


CONTENTS 


PAGK 


50 


65 


PAQB 

Pedro  —  A  visit  to  the  steamship  Colombia  —  On  the  de- 
fensive against  a  fleet  of  canoes  —  A  record  of  voyages 
through  the  strait  —  A  chance  cargo  of  tallow         .        .  110 

CHAPTT^.R  X 

Running  to  Port  Angosto  in  a  snow-storm  —  A  defective 
sheet-rope  places  the  Spray  in  peril  —  The  Spray  as  a 
target  for  a  Fuegian  arrow  —  The  island  of  Alan  Erric  — 
Again  in  the  open  Pacific  —  The  run  to  the  island  of 
Juan  Fernandez  —  An  absentee  king  —  At  Robinson 
Crusoe^s  anchorage 126 

CHAPTER  XI 

The  islanders  of  Juan  Fernandez  entertained  with  Yankee 
doughnuts  —  The  beauties  of  Robinson  Crusoe's  realm  — 
The  mountain  monument  to  Alexander  Selkirk  —  Rob- 
inson Crusoe's  cave  —  A  stroll  with  the  children  of  the  , 
island  —  Westward  ho !  with  a  friendly  gale  —  A  month's 
free  sailing  with  the  Southern  Cross  and  the  sun  for 
guides  —  Sighting  the  Marquesas  —  Experience  in  reck- 
oning   138 

CHAPTER  XII 

Seventy- two  days  without  a  port  —  Whales  and  birds —  A 
peep  into  the  Sprayh  galley  —  Flying-fish  for  breakfast 
—  A  welcome  at  Apia  —  A  visit  from  Mrs.  Robert  Louis 
Stevenson  —  At  Vailima  —  Samoan  hospitality  —  Ar- 
rested for  fast  riding — An  amusing  merrj'^-go-round  — 
Teachers  and  pupils  of  Papauta  College  —  At  the  mercy 


of  sea-nymphs  . 


^60 


08 


CHAPTER  Xni 

Samoan  royalty  —  King  Malietoa  —  Good-by  to  friends  at 
VailLma  —  Leaving  Fiji  to  the  south  —  Arrival  at  New- 
castle, Australia  —  The  yachts  of  Sydney  —  A  ducking 
on  the  Spray  —  Coramodoie  Foy  presents  the  sloop  with 
a  new  suit  of  sails  —  On  to  Melbourne  —  A  shark  that 
proved  to  be  valuable  —  A  change  of  course  —  The 
"  Rain  of  Blood  "  —  In  Tasmania 164 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  XIV 

A.  testimonial  from  a  lady  —  Cruising  round  Tasmania  — 
The  skipper  delivers  his  first  lecture  on  the  voyage  — 
Abundant  provisions  —  An  inspection  of  the  Spray 
for  safety  at  Devonport  —  Again  at  Sydney  —  North- 
ward bound  for  Torres  Strait  —  An  amateur  shipwreck 
^Friends  on  the  Australian  coast — Perils  of  a  coral 


PAOl 


sea 


180 


CHAPTER  XV 

Arrival  at  Port  Denison,  Queensland — A  lecture  —  Rem- 
iniscences of  Captain  Cook  —  Lecturing  for  charity  at 
Cooktown  —  A  happy  escape  from  a  coral  reef  —  Home 
Island^  Sunday  Island,  Bird  Island  —  An  American 
pearl-fisherman  —  Jubilee  at  Thursday  Island — A  new 
ensign  for  the  Spray  —  Booby  Island — Across  the  In- 
dian Ocean  —  Christmas  Island        .....  104 

CHAPTER  XVI 

A  call  for  careful  navigation  —  Three  hours*  steering  in 
twenty-three  days — Arrival  at  the  Keeling  Cocos  Is- 
lands— A  curious  chapter  of  social  history  —  A  welcome 
from  the  children  of  the  islands  —  Cleaning  and  painting 
the  Spray  on  the  beach  —  A  Mohammedan  blessing  for  a 
pot  of  jam  —  Keeling  as  a  paradise — A  risky  adventure 
in  a  small  boat  —  Away  to  Rodriguez  —  Taken  for  Anti- 
christ—  The  governor  calms  the  fears  of  the  people  — A 
lecture — A  convent  in  the  hills 210 

CHAPTER  XVII 

A  clean  bill  of  health  at  Mauritius  —  Sailing  the  voyage 
over  again  in  the  opera-house  —  A  newly  discovered 
plant  named  in  honor  of  the  Spray''8  skipper  —  A  party 
of  young  ladies  out  for  a  sail  —  A  bivouac  on  deck — A 
warm  reception  at  Durban  —  A  friendly  cross-examina- 
tion by  Henry  M.  Star  ley — Three  wise  Boers  seek  proof 
of  the  flatness  of  the  earth  —  Leaving  South  Africa       .  220 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  XVin 


PAOS 


Bounding  the  "  Cape  of  Storms  "  in  olden  time — A  rough 
Christmas  —  The  Spray  ties  up  for  a  three  months^  rest 
at  Cape  Town— A  railway  trip  to  the  Transvaal — 
President  Kruger's  odd  definition  of  the  Spray^s  voyage 

—  His  terse  sayings  —  Distinguished  guests  on  the  Spray 

—  Cocoanut  fiber  as  a  padlock  —  Courtesies  from  the 
admiral  of  the  Queen's  navy  —  Off  for  St.  Helena  — 
Land  in  sight 240 


CHAPTER  XIX 

In  the  isle  of  Napoleon^s  exile  —  Two  lectures  —  A  guest 
in  the  ghost-room  at  Plantation  House  —  An  excursion 
to  historic  Longwood  —  Coffee  in  the  husk,  and  a  goat 
to  shell  it — The  Spray^s  ill  luck  with  animals — A  preju- 
dice against  small  dogs  —  A  rat,  the  Boston  spider,  and 
the  cannibal  cricket — Ascension  Island  .... 


252 


CHAPTER  XX 

In  the  favoring  current  off  Cape  St.  Roque,  Brazil  —  AU 
at  sea  regarding  the  Spanish-American  war  —  An  ex- 
change of  signals  with  the  battle-ship  Oregon — OffDrey- 
fus^s  prison  on  Devil's  Island  —  Reappearance  to  the 
Spray  of  the  north  star  —  The  light  on  Trinidad — A 
charming  introduction  to  Grenada  —  Talks  to  friendly 


auditors 


.  263 


CHAPTER  XXI 

Clearing  for  home — In  the  calm  belt  —  A  sea  covered  with 
sargasso  —  The  jibstay  parts  in  a  gale  — Welcomed  by  a 
tornado  off  Fire  Island — A  change  of  plan  —  Arrival  't 
Newport  —  End  of  a  cruise  of  over  forty-six  thousand 
miles— The  6|pray  again  at  Fairhaven    ....  272 


zii 


CONTENTS 


APPENDIX 


a 


UNES  AND  SAIL-PLAN  OF  THE  "SPRAT 


FAOB 


Her  pedigree  so  far  as  known  —  The  lines  of  the  Spray  — 
Her  self -steering  qualities  — Sail- plan  and  steering-gear 
—  An  unprecedented  feat  —  A  final  word  of  cheer  to 
would-be  navigators •  283 


I 


PAOB 


to 


.  283 


LIST  OP  ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAOB 

The  "Sprat'' Frontispiece 

From  a  photograph  taken  In  Australian  waters. 

The   "Northern   Light,"  Captain   Joshua   Slocum, 
>  Bound  for  Liverpool,  1885 3 

Cross-section  op  the  "Spray" 7 

"It  »LL  Crawl"  „ 9 

"No  Doro  nor  no  Cat" 18 

The  Deacon's  Dream 20 

Captain  Slocum's  Chronometer 22 

"Good  Evening,  Sir" 25 

He  also  Sent  his  Card 28 

Chart  op  the  "  Spray's  "  Course  aroxtnd  the  World 
—  April  24,  1895,  to  July  3,  1898       ....    30 

The  Island  op  Pico 32 

Chart  op  the  "Spray's"  Atlantic  Voyages  from 
Boston  to  Gibraltar,  thence  to  the  Strait  of 
Magellan,  in  1895,  and  finally  Homeward  Bound 
FROM  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  in  1898       .       •       .35 

The  Apparition  at  the  Wheel 40 

Coming  to  Anchor  at  Gibraltar 46 

The  "  Spray  "  at  Anchor  off  GiBRALTAB     •       •       ,47 

Chased  by  Pirates 63 

ziU 


xiT  LIST  OP  ILLUSTRATIONS 

FAOB 

I  Suddenly  Remembered  that  I  could  not  Swm      .    67 

A  Double  Sxtbpbisb •       .70 

At  the  Sign  op  the  Comet      ..,,,.    77 

A  Gbeat  Wave  off  the  Patagonian  Coast         .       .    80 

Entbanoe  to  the  Strait  of  Magellan         ...    83 

The  Coubse  of  the  "Spbay"  through  the  Strait 
OF  Magellan 85 

The  Man  who  would  s't  Ship  without  another 
"MoN  and  a  Doog" 87 

A  FuEGiAK  Girl 88 

Looking  West  prom  Fortescue  Bat,  where  the 
"Spray"  was  Chased  by  Indians        ....    90 

A  Brush  with  Fuegians 93 

A  Bit  of  Friendly  Assistance       .....    95 

Cape  Pillar 99 

They  Howled  like  a  Pack  of  Hound^i  ....  104 

A  Glimpse  of  Sandy  Point  (Punta  Arenas)  in  the 
Strait  of  Magellan      •       , 107 

"  Tammerschooner  ! '^         • 114 

A  Contrast  in  Lighting— the  Electric  Lights  of 
THE  "  Colombia  "  and  the  Canoe  Fires  of  the  For- 
tescue Indians 119 

Records  or  Passages  through  the  Strait  at  the 
Head  of  Borgia  Bay 122 

Salving  Wreckage 124 

The  First  Shot  Uncovered  Three  Fuegians      .       .  129 

The  "  Spray"  Approaching  Juan  Fernandez,  Robinson 
Crusoe's  Island 135 

The  House  of  the  King 139 

Robinson  Crusoe's  Cave 140 

The  Man  who  Called  a  Cabra  a  Goat       •       •       .143 


PAOB 

SwiK      .    67 

)       •       • 

70 

•       •       • 

77 

•       • 

80 

i       •       • 

83 

[E  Strait 
>       •       • 

85 

ANOTHER 
1          •          • 

87 

»          •          • 

88 

[ERE     THE 
•          • 

90 

t          •          • 

93 

>          •         • 

95 

>          •          • 

99 

•          • 

104 

})  IN    THE 

•          • 

107 

•          • 

114 

iIGHTS    OF 

THE  For- 

•              • 

119 

*    AT   THE 

•         • 

122 

•         • 

124 

i 

129 

Robinson 

•       • 

136 

•       • 

139 

•      • 

140 

•      • 

143 

LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS  xv 

TAQM 
MSETINa  WITH   THE  WhALB 151 

First  ExcHANaE  of  Courtesies  in  Samoa     .       .       .164 

Vailima,  THE  Home  of  Robert  Louis  Steyenson        .  156 

The  "Spray's"  Course  from  Australia  to  South 
Africa 160 

The  Accident  at  Sydney 169 

Captain  Slocum  Workinq  the  "  Spray  "  out  of  the 
Yarrow  River,  a  Part  of  Melbourne  Harbor       .  173 

The  Shark  on  the  Deck  of  the  "  Spray  "  ,       .       ,  176 

On  Board  at  St.  Kilda.  Retracing  on  the  Chart 
the  Course  of  the  "Spray"  from  Boston      .       .  178 

The  "Spray"  in  her  Port  Duster  at  Devonport, 
Tasmajoa,  February  22,  1897 183 

"Is  it  A-qoin'  to  Blow!" 188 

The  "  Spray  "  Leaving  Sydney,  Australia,  in  the  New 
Suit  of  Sails  Given  by  Commodore  Foy  of  Aus- 
tralia        197 

The  "Spray"  Ashore  for  "Boot-topping"  at  the 
Keeling  Islands 215 

Captain  Slocum  Drifting  out  to  Sea  .       .       ,       .220 

The  "  Spray  "  at  Mauritius 227 

Captain  Joshua  Slocum 235 

Cartoon  Printed  in  the  Cape  Town  "Owl"  of 
March  5,  1898,  in  Connection  with  an  Item  about 
Captain  Slocum's  Trip  to  Pretoria  ....  24i 

Captain  Slocum,  Sir  Alfred  Milner  (with  the  Tall 
Hat),  and  Colonel  Saunderson,  Y.  P.,  on  the  Bow 
OF  THE  "Spray"  at  Cape  Town 24/ 

Reading  D^  y  and  NiGht 24d 

The  "Spray"  Passed  by  the  "Oregon"       .       .       .265 

The  "Spray"  in  the  Storm  off  New  York       .       .  279 


■'iw»»*^""rr""v 


»vl  LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGK 

Again  Tied  to  the  Old  Stake  at  Fairhaven  .  .  282 
Plan  op  the  After  Cabin  op  the  "Spray"        ,       .  284 

Deok-plan  op  the  "  Spray  " 287 

Sail-plan  OP  THE  "  Spray"  .  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,288 
Steering-gear  op  the  "  Spray  "•••,.  289 
Body-plan  op  the  "Spray"  .  ,  ,  .  ,  ,  291 
Lines  op  the  "Spray"     .•••..,  293 


SAILING  ALONE 
AROUND  THE  WORLD 


SAILING  ALONE   AROUND 
THE  WORLD 

CHAPTER  I 


A  blue-nose  ancestry  with  Yankee  proclivities — Touthfal  fondness 
for  the  sea  —  Master  of  the  ship  Northern  Light — Loss  of  the 
Aquidneck — Return  home  from  Brazil  in  the  canoe  lAberdade-— 
The  gift  of  a  "  ship  "  —  The  rebuilding  of  the  Spray — Conundrums 
in  regard  to  finance  and  calking  —  The  launching  of  the  Spray, 


IN  the  fair  land  of  Nova  Scotia,  a  maritime  prov- 
ince, there  is  a  ridge  called  North  Mountain, 
overlooking  the  Bay  of  Fundy  on  one  side  and 
the  fertile  Annapolis  valley  on  the  other.  On  the 
northern  slope  of  the  range  grows  the  hardy  spruce- 
tree,  well  adapted  for  ship-timbers,  of  which  many 
vessels  of  all  classes  have  been  built.  The  people 
of  this  coast,  hardy,  robust,  and  strong,  are  disposed 
to  compete  in  the  world's  commerce,  and  it  is 
nothing  against  the  master  mariner  if  the  birth- 
place mentioned  on  his  certificate  be  Nova  Scotia. 
I  was  born  in  a  cold  spot,  on  coldest  North  Moun- 


SAILINO  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


tain,  on  a  cold  February  20,  though  I  am  a  citizen 
of  the  United  States  —  a  naturalized  Yankee,  if  it 
may  be  said  that  Nova  Scotiaus  are  not  Yankees 
in  the  truest  sense  of  the  word.  On  both  sides  my 
family  were  sailors ;  and  if  any  Slocum  should  be 
found  not  seafaring,  he  will  show  at  loast  an  inclina- 
tion to  whittle  models  of  boats  and  contemplate 
voyages.  My  father  was  the  sort  of  man  who,  if 
wrecked  on  a  desolate  island,  would  find  his  way 
home,  if  he  had  a  jack-knife  and  could  find  a  tree. 
He  was  a  good  judge  of  a  boat,  but  the  old  clay 
farm  which  some  calamity  made  his  was  an  anchor 
to  him.  He  was  not  afraid  of  a  capful  of  wind,  and 
he  never  took  a  back  seat  at  a  camp-meeting  or  a 
good,  old-fashioned  revival. 

As  for  myself,  the  wonderful  sea  charmed  me 
from  the  first.  At  the  age  of  eight  I  had  already 
been  afloat  along  with  other  boys  on  the  bay, 
with  chances  greatly  in  favor  of  being  drowned. 
When  a  lad  I  filled  the  important  post  of  cook  on 
a  fishing-schooner ;  but  I  was  not  long  in  the  gal- 
ley, for  the  crew  mutinied  at  the  appearance  of  my 
first  duff,  and  "  chucked  me  out  ^  before  I  had  a 
chance  to  shine  as  a  culinary  artist.  The  next  step 
toward  the  goal  of  happiness  found  me  before  the 
mast  in  a  full-rigged  ship  bound  on  a  foreign  voy- 
age. Thus  I  came  "  over  the  bows,"  and  not  in 
through  the  cabin  windows,  to  the  command  of  a 
ship. 

My  best  command  was  that  of  the  magnificent 
ship  Northern  Light,  of  which  I  was  part-owner.  I 
hiid  a  right  to  be  proud  of  her,  for  at  that  time  — 
in  the  eighties  —  she  was  the  finest  American  sail- 


MASTER  OP  THE  SHIP  "NORTHERN  LIGHT"         3 

ing-vessel  afloat.  Afterward  I  owned  and  sailed 
the  Aquidnecky  a  little  bark  which  of  all  man's 
handiwork  seemed  to  me  the  nearest  to  perfection 
of  beauty,  and  which  in  speed,  when  the  wind 
blew,  asked  no  favors  of  steamers.  I  had  been 
nearly  twenty  years  a  shipmaster  when  I  quit  her 


Drxmn  ty  W.  JMtr. 

The  Northern  Light,  Captain  Joshua  Slocom, 
bound  for  Liverpool,  1885. 

deck  on  the  coast  of  Brazil,  where  she  was  wrecked. 
My  home  voyage  to  New  York  with  my  family  was 
made  in  the  canoe  Liberdade,  without  accident. 

My  voyages  were  all  foreign.  I  sailed  as  freighter 
and  trader  principally  to  China,  Australia,  and 
Japan,  and  among  the  Spice  Islands.  Mine  was 
not  the  sort  of  life  to  make  one  long  to  coil  up 
one's  ropes  on  land,  the  customs  and  ways  of  which 
I  had  finally  almost  forgotten.    And  so  when  times 


4  SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WOBLD 

for  freighters  got  bad,  as  at  last  they  did,  and  I 
tried  to  quit  the  sea,  what  was  there  for  an  old  sailor 
to  do  t  I  was  born  in  the  breezes,  and  I  had  studied 
the  sea  as  perhaps  few  men  have  studied  it,  neglect- 
ing all  else.  Next  in  attractiveness,  after  seafar- 
ing, came  ship-building.  I  longed  to  be  master  in 
both  professions,  and  in  a  small  way,  in  time,  I  ac- 
complished ray  desire.  From  the  decks  of  stout 
ships  in  the  worst  gales  I  had  made  calculations  as 
to  the  size  and  sort  of  ship  safest  for  all  weather 
and  all  seas.  Thus  the  voyage  which  I  am  now  to 
narrate  was  a  natural  outcome  not  only  of  my  love 
of  adventure,  but  of  my  lifelong  experience. 

One  midwinter  day  of  1892,  in  Boston,  where  I 
had  been  cast  up  from  old  ocean,  so  to  speak,  a  year 
or  two  before,  I  was  cogitating  whether  I  should 
apply  for  a  command,  and  again  eat  my  bread  and 
butter  on  the  sea,  or  go  to  work  at  the  shipyard, 
when  I  met  an  olu  acquaintance,  a  whaling-captain, 
who  said :  "  Come  to  Fairhaven  and  I  '11  give  you  a 
ship.  But,"  he  added,  "  she  wants  some  repairs." 
The  captain's  terms,  when  fully  explained,  were 
more  than  satisfactory  to  me.  They  included  all 
the  assistance  I  would  require  to  fit  the  craft  for 
sea.  I  was  only  too  glad  to  accept,  for  I  had  al- 
ready found  that  I  could  not  obtain  work  in  the 
shipyard  without  first  paying  fifty  dollars  to  a  so- 
ciety, and  as  for  a  ship  to  command  —  there  were 
not  enough  ships  to  go  round.  Nearly  all  our  tall 
vessels  had  been  cut  down  for  coal-barges,  and  were 
being  ignominiously  towed  by  the  nose  from  port 
to  port,  while  many  worthy  captains  addressed 
themselves  to  Sailors'  Snug  Harbor. 


THE  GIFT  OP  A  SHIP 


The  next  day  I  landed  at  Fairhaven,  opposite 
New  Bedford,  and  found  that  my  friend  had  some- 
thing of  a  joke  on  me.  For  seven  years  the  joke 
had  been  on  him.  The  "  ship  ^  proved  to  be  a  very 
antiquated  sloop  called  the  Spray ^  which  the  neigh- 
bors declared  had  been  built  in  the  year  1.  She 
was  affectionately  propped  up  in  a  field,  some  dis- 
tance from  salt  water,  and  was  covered  with  canvas. 
The  people  of  Fairhaven,  I  hardly  need  say,  are 
thrifty  and  observant.  For  seven  years  they  had 
asked,  "I  wonder  what  Captain  Eben  Pierce  is 
going  to  do  with  the  old  Spray  f  "  The  day  I  ap- 
peared there  was  a  buzz  at  the  gossip  exchange : 
at  last  some  one  had  come  and  was  actually  at  work 
on  the  old  Spray,  "Breaking  her  up,  I  s'poset'* 
"  No ;  going  to  rebuild  her.''  Great  was  the  amaze- 
ment. "  Will  it  pay  ?  ^  was  the  question  which  for 
a  year  or  more  I  answered  by  declaring  that  I 
would  make  it  pay. 

My  ax  felled  a  stout  oak-tree  near  by  for  a  keel, 
and  Farmer  Howard,  for  a  small  sum  of  money, 
hauled  in  this  and  enough  timbers  for  the  frame 
of  the  new  vessel.  I  rigged  a  steam-box  and  a 
pot  for  a  boiler.  The  timbers  for  ribs,  being 
straight  saplings,  were  dressed  and  steamed  till 
supple,  and  then  bent  over  a  log,  where  they 
were  secured  till  set.  Something  tangible  ap- 
peared every  day  to  show  for  my  labor,  and  the 
neighbors  made  the  work  sociable.  It  was  a  great 
day  in  the  Spray  shipyard  when  her  new  stem  was 
set  up  and  fastened  to  the  new  keel.  WhaLng- 
captains  came  from  far  to  survey  it.  With  one  voice 
they  pronounced  it  "  A  I,''  and  in  their  opinion  **  fit 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


to  smash  ice.**  The  oldest  captain  shook  my  hand 
warmly  when  the  breast-hooks  were  put  in,  declar- 
ing that  he  could  see  no  reason  why  the  Sjpray 
should  not  "cut  in  bow-head ** yet  off  the  coast  of 
Greenland.  The  much-esteemed  stem-piece  was 
from  the  butt  of  the  smartest  kind  of  a  pasture 
oak.  It  afterward  split  a  coral  patch  in  two  at  the 
Keeling  Islands,  and  did  not  receive  a  blemish. 
Better  timber  for  a  ship  than  pasture  white  oak 
never  grew.  The  breast-hooks,  as  well  as  all  the 
ribs,  were  of  this  wood,  and  were  steamed  and  bent 
into  shape  as  required.  It  was  hard  upon  March 
when  I  began  work  in  earnest;  the  weather  was 
cold ;  still,  there  were  plenty  of  inspectors  to  back 
me  with  advice.  When  a  whaling-captain  hove 
in  sight  I  just  rested  on  my  adz  awhile  and 
"  gammed  "  with  him. 

New  Bedford,  the  home  of  whaling-captains,  is 
connected  with  Fairhaven  by  a  bridge,  and  the 
walking  is  good.  They  never  "  worked  along  up  ^ 
to  the  shipyard  too  often  for  me.  It  was  the 
charming  tales  about  arctic  whaling  that  inspired 
me  to  put  a  double  set  of  breast-hooks  in  the  Spray ^ 
that  she  might  shunt  ice. 

The  seasons  came  quickly  while  I  worked. 
Hardly  were  the  ribs  of  the  sloop  up  before  apple- 
trees  were  in  bloom.  Then  the  daisies  and  the 
cherries  came  soon  after.  Close  by  the  place  where 
the  old  Spray  had  now  dissolved  rested  the  ashes 
of  John  Cook,  a  revered  Pilgrim  father.  So  the 
new  Spray  rose  from  hallowed  ground.  From  the 
deck  of  the  new  craft  I  could  put  out  my  hand  and 
pick  cherries  that  grew  over  the  little  grave.    The 


THE  REBUILDING  OP  THE  "SPRAY" 


LS,  IS 


planks  for  the  new  vessel,  which  I  soon  came  to  put 
on,  were  of  Georgia  pine  an  inch  and  a  half  thick. 
The  operation  of  putting  them  on  was  tedious,  but, 
when  on,  the  calking  was  easy.  The  outward  edges 
stood  slightly  open  to  receive  the  calking,  but  the 
inner  edges  were  so  close  that  I  could  not  see  day- 
light between  them.  All  the  butts  were  fastened  by 
through  bolts,  with  screw- 
nuts  tightening  them  to 
the  timbers,  so  that  there 
would  be  no  complaint 
from  them.  Many  bolts 
with  screw-nuts  were  used 
in  other  parts  of  the  con- 
struction, in  all  about  a 
thousand.  It  was  my  pur- 
pose to  make  my  vessel 
stout  and  strong. 

Now,  it  is  a  law  in  Lloyd's 
that  the  Jane  repaired  all 
out  of  the  old  until  she  is 
entirely  new  is  still  the  Jayie,  The  Spray  changed 
her  being  so  gradually  that  it  was  hard  to  say  at 
what  point  the  old  died  or  the  new  took  birth, 
and  it  was  no  matter.  The  bulwarks  I  built  up 
of  white-oak  stanchions  fourteen  inches  high, 
and  covered  with  seven-eighth-inch  white  pine. 
These  stanchions,  mortised  through  a  two-inch 
covering-board,  I  calked  with  thin  cedar  wedges. 
They  have  remained  perfectly  tight  ever  since. 
The  deck  I  made  of  one-aud-a-half-inch  by  three- 
inch  white  pine  spiked  to  beams,  six  by  six  inches, 
of  yellow  or  Georgia  pine,  placed  three  feet  apart. 


Gross-section  of  the  Spray. 


8 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUNB  THE  WORLD 


1 1  i 

il 


The  deck-inclosures  were  one  over  the  aperture 
of  the  main  hatch,  six  feet  by  six,  for  a  cook- 
ing-galley, and  a  trunk  farther  aft,  about  ten  feet 
by  twelve,  for  a  cabin.  Both  of  these  rose  about 
three  feet  above  the  deck,  and  were  sunk  suf- 
ficiently into  the  hold  to  afford  head-room.  In 
the  spaces  along  the  sides  of  the  cabin,  under  the 
deck,  I  arranged  a  berth  to  sleep  in,  and  shelves 
for  small  st  orage,  not  forgetting  a  place  for  the 
medicine-chest.  In  the  midship  hold,  that  is,  the 
space  between  cabin  and  galley,  under  the  deck, 
was  room  for  provision  of  water,  salt  beef,  etc., 
ample  for  many  months. 

The  hull  of  my  vessel  being  now  put  together  as 
strongly  as  wood  and  iron  could  make  her,  and  the 
various  rooms  partitioned  off,  I  set  about  "  calking 
ship.''  brave  fears  were  entertained  by  some  that 
at  this  point  I  should  fail.  I  myself  gave  some 
thought  to  the  advisability  of  a  *' professional 
calker.''  The  very  first  blow  I  struck  on  the  cotton 
with  the  calking-iron,  which  I  thought  was  right, 
many  others  thought  wrong.  "  It  '11  crawl  I "  cried 
a  man  from  Marion,  passing  with  a  basket  of  clams 
on  his  back.  "  It  '11  crawl ! "  cried  another  from 
West  Island,  when  he  saw  me  driving  cotton 
into  the  seams.  Bruno  simply  wagged  his  tail. 
Even  Mr.  Ben  J ,  a  noted  authority  on  whaling- 
ships,  whose  mind,  however,  was  said  to  totter, 
asked  rather  confidently  if  I  did  not  think  "it 
would  crawl."  "  How  fast  will  it  crawl ! "  cried  my 
old  captain  friend,  who  had  been  towed  by  many 
a  lively  sperm-whale.  "Tell  us  how  fast,"  cried 
he,  "that  we  may  get  into  port  in  time."    How- 


3 


10 


SAILING  ALONE  ABOUND  THE  WORLD 


ever,  I  drove  a  thread  of  oakum  on  top  of  the 
cotton,  as  from  the  first  I  had  intended  to  do. 
And  Bruno  again  wagged  his  tail.  The  cotton 
never  "  crawled."  When  the  calking  was  finished, 
two  coats  of  copper  paint  were  slapped  on  the  bot- 
tom, two  of  white  lead  on  the  topsides  and  bul- 
warks. The  rudder  was  then  shipped  and  painted, 
and  on  the  following  day  the  Spray  was  launched. 
As  she  rode  at  her  ancient,  rust-eaten  anchor,  she 
sat  on  the  water  like  a  swan. 

The  Spray^s  dimensions  were,  when  finished, 
thirty-six  feet  nine  inches  long,  over  all,  fourteen 
feet  two  inches  wide,  and  four  feet  two  inches  deep 
in  the  hold,  her  tonnage  being  nine  tons  net  and 
twelve  and  seventy-one  hundredths  tons  gross. 

Then  the  mast,  a  smart  New  Hampshire  spruce, 
was  fitted,  and  likewise  all  the  small  appurtenances 
necessary  for  a  short  cruise.  Sails  were  bent,  and 
away  she  flew  with  my  friend  Captain  Pierce  and 
me,  across  Buzzard's  Bay  on  a  trial-trip— all  right. 
The  only  thing  that  now  worried  my  friends  along 
the  beach  was,  "Will  she  pay!"  The  cost  of  my 
new  vessel  was  $553.62  for  materials,  and  thirteen 
months  of  my  own  labor.  I  was  several  months 
more  than  that  at  Fairhaven,  for  I  got  work  now 
and  then  on  an  occasional  whale-ship  fitting  farther 
down  the  harbor,  and  that  kept  me  the  overtime. 


I 

r 

1 


I 
I 


CHAPTER  II 

Failure  as  a  fisherman — A  voyage  around  the  world  projected  — 
From  Boston  to  Gloucester — Fitting  out  for  the  ocean  voyage— 
Half  of  a  dory  for  a  ship's  boat  —  The  run  from  Gloucester  to 
Nova  Scotia — A  shaking  up  in  home  waters — Among  old  friends. 


I  SPENT  a  season  in  my  new  craft  fishing  on 
the  coast,  only  to  find  that  I  had  not  the  cun- 
ning properly  to  bait  a  hook.  But  at  last  the  time 
arrived  to  weigh  anchor  and  get  to  sea  in  earnest. 
I  had  resolved  on  a  voyage  around  the  world,  and 
as  the  wind  on  the  morning  of  April  24, 1895,  was 
fair,  at  noon  I  weighed  anchor,  set  sail,  and  filled 
away  from  Boston,  where  the  Spray  had  been 
moored  snugly  all  winter.  The  twelve-o'clock  whis- 
tles were  blowing  just  as  the  sloop  shot  ahead  under 
full  sail.  A  short  board  was  made  up  the  harbor 
on  the  port  tack,  then  coming  about  she  stood  sea- 
ward, with  her  boom  well  off  to  port,  and  swung 
past  the  ferries  with  lively  heels.  A  photogi'apher 
on  the  outer  pier  at  East  Boston  got  a  picture  of  her 
as  she  swept  by,  her  flag  at  the  peak  throwing  its 
folds  clear.  A  thrilling  pulse  beat  high  in  me.  My 
step  was  light  on  deck  in  the  crisp  air.  I  felt  that 
there  could  be  no  turning  back,  and  that  I  was  en- 
gaging in  an  adventure  the  meaning  of  which  I 

thoroughly  understood.    I  had  taken  little  advice 

11 


13 


SAILING  ALONE  ABOUND  THE  WOBLD 


from  any  one,  for  I  had  a  right  to  my  own  opinions 
in  matters  pertaining  to  the  sea.  That  the  best  of 
sailors  might  do  worse  than  even  I  alone  was  borne 
in  upon  me  not  a  league  from,  Boston  docks,  where 
a  great  steamship,  fully  manned,  officered,  and  pi- 
loted, lay  stranded  and  broken.  This  was  the  Ve- 
netian, She  was  broken  completely  in  two  over  a 
ledge.  So  in  the  first  hour  of  my  lone  voyage  I  had 
proof  that  the  Spray  could  at  least  do  better  than 
this  full-handed  steamship,  for  I  was  already  farther 
on  my  voyage  than  she.  "  Take  warning.  Spray ^ 
and  have  a  care,'*  I  uttered  aloud  to  my  bark,  pass- 
ing fairylike  silently  down  the  bay. 

The  wind  freshened,  and  the  Spray  rounded  Deer 
Island  light  at  the  rate  of  seven  knots. 

Passing  it,  she  squared  away  direct  for  Gloucester 
to  procure  there  some  fishermen's  stores.  Waves 
dancing  joyously  across  Massachusetts  Bay  met 
her  coming  out  of  the  harbor  to  dash  them  into 
myriads  of  sparkling  gems  that  hung  about  her  at 
every  surge.  The  day  was  perfect,  the  sunlight 
clear  and  strong.  Every  particle  of  water  thrown 
into  the  air  became  a  gem,  and  the  Spray,  bound- 
ing ahead,  snatched  necklace  after  necklace  from 
the  sea,  and  as  often  threw  them  away.  We  have 
all  seen  miniature  rainbows  about  a  ship's  prow, 
but  the  Spray  flung  out  a  bow  of  her  own  that 
day,  such  as  I  had  never  seen  before.  Her  good 
angel  had  embarked  on  the  voyage;  I  so  read  it 
in  the  sea. 

Bold  Nahant  was  soon  abeam,  then  Marblehead 
was  put  astern.  Other  vessels  were  outward  bound, 
but  none  of  them  passed  the  Spray  flying  along  on 


PEOM  BOSTON  TO  GLOUCESTER 


18 


her  course.  I  heard  the  clanking  of  the  dismal  bell 
on  Norman's  Woe  as  we  went  by;  and  the  reef 
where  the  schooner  Hesperus  struck  I  passed  close 
aboard.  The  "  bones "  of  a  wreck  tossed  up  lay 
bleaching  on  the  shore  abreast.  The  wind  still 
freshening,  I  settled  the  throat  of  the  mainsail  to 
ease  the  sloop's  helm,  for  I  could  hardly  hold  her 
before  it  with  the  whole  mainsail  set.  A  schooner 
ahead  of  me  lowered  all  sail  and  ran  into  port 
under  bare  poles,  the  wind  being  fair.  As  the 
Spray  brushed  by  the  stranger,  I  saw  that  some  of 
his  sails  were  gone,  and  much  broken  canvas  hung 
in  his  rigging,  from  the  effects  of  a  squall. 

I  made  for  the  cove,  a  lovely  branch  of  Glou- 
cester's fine  harbor,  again  to  look  the  Spray  over 
and  again  to  weigh  the  voyage,  and  my  feelings, 
and  all  that.  The  bay  was  feather-white  as  my 
little  vessel  tore  in,  smothered  in  foam.  It  was  my 
first  experience  of  coming  into  port  alone,  with  b 
craft  of  any  size,  and  in  among  shipping.  Old 
fishermen  ran  down  to  the  wharf  for  which  the 
Spray  was  heading,  apparently  intent  upon  brain- 
ing herself  there.  I  hardly  know  how  a  calamity 
was  averted,  but  with  my  heart  in  my  mouth, 
almost,  I  let  go  the  wheel,  stepped  quickly  forward, 
and  downed  the  jib.  The  sloop  naturally  rounded 
in  the  wind,  and  just  ranging  ahead,  laid  her  cheek 
against  a  mooring-pile  at  the  windward  corner 
of  the  wharf,  so  quietly,  after  all,  that  she  would 
not  have  broken  an  ^gg.  Very  leisurely  I  passed 
a  rope  around  the  post,  and  she  was  moored.  Then 
a  cheer  went  up  from  the  little  crowd  on  the  wharf. 
"You  could  n't  'a'  done  it  better,"  cried  an  old 


14 


SAILING  ALONE  ABOUND  THE  WORLD 


skipper,  "  if  you  weighed  a  ton  I "  Now,  my  weight 
was  rather  less  than  the  fifteenth  part  of  a  ton, 
but  I  said  nothing,  only  putting  on  a  look  of  care- 
less indifference  to  say  for  me,  "Oh,  that  's  no- 
thing''; for  some  of  the  ablest  sailors  in  the  world 
were  looking  at  me,  and  my  wish  was  not  to  appear 
green,  for  I  had  a  mind  to  stay  in  Gloucester  sev- 
eral days.  Had  I  uttered  a  word  it  surely  would 
have  betrayed  me,  for  I  was  still  quite  nervous  and 
short  of  breath. 

I  remained  in  Gloucester  about  two  weeks,  fit- 
ting out  with  the  various  articles  for  the  voyage 
most  readily  obtained  there.  The  owners  of  the 
wharf  where  I  lay,  and  of  manj''  fishing- vessels,  put 
on  board  dry  cod  galore,  also  a  barrel  of  oil  to  calm 
the  waves.  They  were  old  skippers  themselves, 
and  took  a  great  interest  in  the  voyage.  They  also 
made  the  Spray  a  present  of  a  "  fisherman's  own  " 
lantern,  which  I  found  would  throw  a  lighi;  a  great 
distance  round.  Indeed,  a  ship  that  would  run 
another  down  having  such  a  good  light  aboard 
would  be  capable  of  running  into  a  light-ship.  A 
gaff,  a  pugh,  and  a  dip-net,  all  of  which  an  old 
fisherman  declared  I  could  not  sail  without,  were 
also  put  aboard.  Then,  too,  from  across  the  cove 
came  a  case  of  copper  paint,  a  famous  antifouling 
article,  which  stood  me  in  good  stead  long  after. 
I  slapped  two  coats  of  this  paint  on  the  bottom  of 
the  Sj^ray  while  she  lay  a  tide  or  so  on  the  hard 
beach. 

For  a  boat  to  take  along,  I  made  shift  to  cut  a 
castaway  dory  in  two  athwartships,  boarding  up 
the  end  where  it  was  cut    This  half-dory  I  could 


PITTINa  OUT  FOB  THE  OCEAN  VOYAGE 


16 


hoist  in  and  out  by  the  nose  easily  enough,  by  hook- 
ing the  throat-halyards  into  a  strop  fitted  for  the 
purpose.  A  whole  doiy  would  be  heavy  and  awk- 
ward to  handle  alone.  Manifestly  there  was  not 
room  on  deck  for  more  than  the  half  of  a  boat, which, 
after  all,  was  better  than  no  boat  at  all,  and  was  large 
enough  for  one  man.  I  perceived,  moreover,  that 
the  newly  arranged  craft  would  answer  for  a  wash- 
ing-machine when  placed  athwartships,  and  also  for 
a  bath-tub.  Indeed,  for  the  former  office  my  razeed 
dory  gained  such  a  reputation  on  the  voyage  that 
my  washerwoman  at  Samoa  would  not  take  no  for 
an  answer.  She  could  see  with  one  eye  that  it  was 
a  new  invention  which  beat  any  Yankee  notion 
ever  brought  by  missionaries  to  tho  islands,  and 
she  had  to  have  it. 

The  want  of  a  chronometer  for  the  voyage  was 
all  that  now  worried  me.  In  our  newfangled  no- 
tions of  navigation  it  is  supposed  that  a  mariner 
cannot  find  his  way  without  one ;  and  I  had  myself 
drifted  into  this  way  of  thinking.  My  old  chro- 
nometer, a  good  one,  had  been  long  in  disuse.  It 
would  cost  fifteen  dollars  to  clean  and  rate  it.  Fif- 
teen dollars  I  For  sufficient  reasons  I  left  that 
timepiece  at  home,  where  the  Dutchman  left  his 
anchor.  I  had  the  great  lantern,  and  a  lady  in 
Boston  sent  me  the  price  of  a  large  two-burner 
cabin  lamp,  which  lighted  the  cabin  at  night,  and 
by  some  small  contriving  served  for  a  stove  through 
the  day. 

Being  thus  refitted  I  \7as  once  more  ready  for  sea, 
and  on  May  7  again  mad(j  sail.  With  little  room  in 
which  to  turn,  the  Sj^iay^  in  gathering  headway, 


16 


SAILma  ALONE  ABOUND  THE  WORLD 


I 


scratched  the  paint  off  an  old,  fine-weather  craft  in 
the  fairway,  being  puttied  and  painted  for  a  sum- 
mer voyage.  "  Who  '11  pay  for  that  T  ^  growled  the 
painters.  "  I  will,"  said  I.  "  With  the  main-sheet," 
echoed  the  captain  of  the  Bluebirdy  close  by,  which 
was  his  way  of  saying  that  I  was  off.  There  was 
nothing  to  pay  for  above  five  cents'  worth  of  paint, 
maybe,  but  such  a  din  was  raised  between  the  old 
"  hooker  **  and  the  Bluebird^  which  now  took  up  my 
case,  that  the  first  cause  of  it  was  forgotten  alto- 
gether.   Anyhow,  no  bill  was  sent  after  me. 

The  weather  was  mild  on  the  day  of  my  depar- 
ture from  Gloucester.  On  the  point  ahead,  as  the 
Spray  stood  out  of  the  cove,  was  a  lively  picture, 
for  the  front  of  a  tall  factory  was  a  flutter  of  hand- 
kerchiefs and  caps.  Pretty  faces  peered  out  of  the 
windows  from  the  top  to  the  bottom  of  the  build- 
ing, ail  smiling  hon  voyage.  Some  hailed  mc  to 
know  where  away  and  why  alone.  Why  I  When 
I  made  as  if  to  stand  in,  a  hundred  pairs  of  arms 
reached  out,  and  said  come,  but  the  shore  was  dan- 
gerous I  The  sloop  worked  out  of  the  bay  against 
a  light  southwest  wind,  and  about  noon  squared 
away  off  Eastern  Point,  receiving  at  the  same  time 
a  hearty  salute  —  the  last  of  many  kindnesses  to 
her  at  Q-loucester.  The  wind  freshened  off  the 
point,  and  skipping  along  smoothly,  the  Spray  was 
soon  off  Thatcher's  Island  lights.  Thence  shaping 
her  course  east,  by  compass,  to  go  north  of  Cashes 
Ledge  and  the  Amen  Eocks,  I  sat  and  considered 
the  matter  all  over  again,  and  asked  myself  once 
more  whether  it  were  best  to  sail  beyond  the  ledge 
and  rocks  at  all.    I  had  only  said  that  I  would  sail 


THE  BUN  FBOM  GLOUCESTEB  TO  NOVA  SCOTIA  17 


round  the  world  in  the  Spray,  "  dangers  of  the  sea 
excepted,**  but  I  must  have  said  it  very  much  in 
earnest.  The  "  charter-party  ^  with  myself  seemed 
to  bind  me,  and  so  I  sailed  on.  Toward  night  I 
hauled  the  sloop  to  the  wind,  and  baiting  a  hook, 
sounded  for  bottom-fish,  in  thirty  fathoms  of 
water,  on  the  edge  of  Cashes  Ledge.  With  fair 
success  I  hauled  till  dark,  landing  on  deck  three 
cod  and  two  haddocks,  one  hake,  and,  best  of  all,  a 
small  halibut,  all  plump  and  spry.  This,  I  thought, 
would  be  the  place  to  take  in  a  good  stock  of  pro- 
visions above  what  I  already  had ;  so  I  put  out  a 
sea-anchor  that  would  hold  her  head  to  windward. 
The  current  being  southwest,  against  the  wind,  I 
felt  quite  sure  I  would  find  the  Spray  still  on  the 
bank  or  near  it  in  the  morning.  Then  "strad- 
ding  ^  the  cable  and  putting  my  great  lantern  in 
the  rigging,  I  lay  down,  for  the  first  time  at  sea 
alone,  not  to  sleep,  but  to  doze  and  to  dream. 

I  had  read  somewhere  of  a  fishing-schooner  hook- 
ing her  anchor  into  a  whale,  and  being  towed  a 
long  wpy  and  at  great  speed.  This  was  exactly 
what  happened  to  the  Spray  —  in  my  dream!  I 
could  not  shake  it  off  entirely  when  I  awoke  and 
found  that  it  was  the  wind  blowing  and  the 
heavy  sea  now  running  that  had  disturbed  my  short 
rest.  A  scud  was  flying  across  the  moon.  A  storm 
was  brewing;  indeed,  it  was  already  stormy.  I 
reefed  the  sails,  then  hauled  in  my  sea-anchor,  and 
setting  what  canvas  the  sloop  could  carry,  headed 
her  away  for  Monhegan  light,  which  she  made  before 
daylight  on  the  morning  of  the  8th.  The  wind  be- 
ing free,  I  ran  on  into  Round  Pond  harbor,  which 


18 


SAILING  ALONE  ABOUND  THE  WOELD 


is  a  little  port  east  from  Pemaquid.  Here  I  rested 
a  day,  while  the  wind  rattled  among  the  pine-trees 
on  shore.    But  the  following  day  was  fine  enough, 


4t  i 


No  dorg  nor  no  cat."' 


and  I  put  to  sea,  first  writing  up  my  log  from  Capo 
Ann,  not  omitting  a  full  account  of  my  adventure 
with  the  whale. 


THE  BUN  PROM  GLOUCESTER  TO  NOVA  SCOTIA    19 


>  I  rested 

line-trees 

enough, 


•m  Cap© 
venture 


The  Spray,  heading  east,  stretched  along  the 
coast  among  many  islands  and  over  a  tranquil  sea. 
At  evening  of  this  day,  May  10,  she  came  up  with 
a  considerable  island,  which  I  shall  always  think  of 
as  the  Island  of  Frogs,  for  the  Spray  was  charmed 
by  a  million  voices.  From  the  Island  of  Frogs  we 
made  for  the  Island  of  Birds,  called  Gannet  Island, 
and  sometimes  Gannet  Eock,  whereon  is  a  bright, 
intermittent  light,  which  flashed  fitfully  across  the 
Spratfs  deck  as  she  coasted  along  under  its  light 
and  shade.  Thence  shaping  a  course  for  Briar's 
Island,  I  came  among  vessels  the  following  after- 
noon on  the  western  fishing-grounds,  and  after 
speaking  a  fisherman  at  anchor,  who  gave  me  a 
wrong  course,  the  Spray  sailed  directly  over  the 
southwest  ledge  through  the  worst  tide-race  in  the 
Bay  of  Fundy,  and  got  into  Westport  harbor  in 
Nova  Scotia,  where  I  had  spent  eight  years  of  my 
life  as  a  lad. 

The  fisherman  may  have  said  "  east-southeast,** 
the  course  I  was  steering  when  I  hailed  him ;  but  I 
thought  he  said  "  east-northeast,**  and  I  accordingly 
changed  it  to  that.  Before  he  made  up  his  mind 
to  answer  me  at  all,  he  improved  the  occasion  of 
his  own  curiosity  to  know  where  I  was  from,  and 
if  I  was  alone,  and  if  I  did  n*t  have  "  no  dorg  nor 
no  cat.**  It  was  the  first  time  in  all  my  life  at  sea 
that  I  had  heard  a  hail  for  information  answered 
by  a  question.  I  think  the  chap  belonged  to  the 
Foreign  Islands.  There  was  one  thing  I  was  sure 
of,  and  that  was  that  he  did  not  belong  to  Briar*8 
Island,  because  he  dodged  a  sea  that  slopped  over 
the  rail;  and  stopping  to  brush  the  water  from  his 


i 


20 


SAILING  ALONE  ABOUND  THE  WORLD 


face,  lost  a  fine  cod  which  he  was  about  to  ship. 
My  islander  would  not  have  done  that.  It  is  known 
that  a  Briar  Islander,  fish  or  no  fish  on  his  hook, 
never  flinches  from  a  sea.  He  just  tends  to  his 
lines  and  hauls  or  "  saws."  Nay,  have  I  not  seen 
my  old  friend  Deacon  W.  D ,  a  good  man  of  the 


i 


The  deacon^s  dream. 

island,  while  listening  to  a  sermon  in  the  little 
church  on  the  hill,  reach  out  his  hand  over  the 
door  of  his  pew  and  "  jig"  imaginary  squid  in  the 
aisle,  to  the  intense  delight  of  the  young  people, 
who  did  not  realize  that  to  catch  good  fish  one 
must  have  good  bait,  the  thing  most  on  the  dea- 
con's mind. 

I  was  delighted  to  reach  Westport.  Any  port  at 
all  would  have  been  delightful  after  the  terrible 
thrashing  I  got  in  the  fierce  sou'west  rip,  and  to 


AMONG  OLD  FRIENDS 


31 


to  ship, 
known 
s  hook, 
}  to  his 
Lot  seen 
n  of  the 


e  little 
er  the 
in  the 
beople, 
sh  one 
le  dea* 

Dort  at 
errible 
md  to 


find  myself  among  old  schoolmates  now  was  charm- 
ing. It  was  the  13th  of  the  month,  and  13  is  my 
lucky  number — a  fact  registered  long  before  Dr. 
Nansen  sailed  in  search  of  the  north  pole  with  his 
crew  of  thirteen.  Perhaps  he  had  heard  of  my 
success  in  taking  a  most  extraordinary  ship  success- 
fully to  Brazil  with  that  number  of  crew.  The  very 
stones  on  Briar's  Island  I  was  glad  to  see  again, 
and  I  knew  them  all.  The  little  shop  round  the 
corner,  which  for  thirty-five  years  I  had  not  seen, 
was  the  same,  except  that  it  looked  a  deal  smaller. 
It  wore  the  same  shingles  —  I  was  sure  of  it ;  for 
did  not  I  know  the  roof  where  we  boys,  night  after 
night,  hunted  for  the  skin  of  a  black  cat,  to  be 
taken  on  a  dark  night,  to  make  a  plaster  for  a  poor 
lame  man!  Lowry  the  tailor  lived  there  when 
boys  were  boys.  In  his  day  he  was  fond  of  the 
gun.  He  always  carried  his  powder  loose  in  the 
tail  pocket  of  his  coat.  He  usually  had  in  his 
mouth  a  short  dudeen ;  but  in  an  evil  moment  he 
put  the  dudeen,  lighted,  in  the  pocket  among  the 
powder.    Mr.  Lowry  was  an  eccentric  man. 

At  Briar's  Island  I  overhauled  the  Spray  once 
more  and  tried  her  seams,  but  found  that  even  the 
test  of  the  sou'west  rip  had  started  nothing.  Bad 
weather  and  much  head  wind  prevailing  outside,  I 
was  in  no  hurry  to  round  Cape  Sable.  I  made  a 
short  excursion  with  some  friends  to  St.  Mary's 
Bay,  an  old  cruising-ground,  and  back  to  the 
island.  Then  I  sailed,  putting  into  Yarmouth  the 
following  day  on  account  of  fog  and  head  wind.  I 
spent  some  days  pleasantly  enough  in  Yarmouth, 
took  in  some  butter  for  the  voyage,  also  a  barrel  of 


22 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


.  H 


potatoes,  filled  six  barrels  of  water,  and  stowed  all 
under  deck.  At  Yarmouth,  too,  I  got  my  famous 
tin  clock,  the  only  timepiece  I  carried  on  the  whole 
voyage.  The  price  of  it  was  a  dollar  and  a  half, 
but  on  account  of  the  face  being  smashed  the  mer- 
chant let  me  have  it  for  a  dollar. 


I    li 


( 


I  ! ' 


Captain  Slooum's  chronometer. 


wed  all 
famous 
e  whole 
a  half, 
me  mer- 


CHAPTER  III 

Good-by  to  the  American  coast  —  Off  Sable  Island  in  a  fog — In 
the  open  sea — The  man  in  the  moon  takes  an  interest  in  the 
voyage  —  The  first  fit  of  loneliness  —  The  Spray  encounters  La 
Vaguisa — A  bottle  of  wine  from  the  Spaniard  -  A  bout  of  words 
with  the  captain  of  the  Java — The  steamship  Olympia  spoken  — 
Arrival  at  the  Azores. 


I  NOW  stowed  all  my  goods  securely,  for  the  bois- 
terous Atlantic  was  before  me,  and  I  sent  the  top- 
mast down,  knowing  that  the  Spray  would  be  the 
wholesomer  with  it  on  deck.  Then  I  gave  the  lan- 
yards a  pull  and  hitched  them  afresh,  and  saw  that 
the  gammon  was  secure,  also  that  the  boat  was 
lashed,  for  even  in  summer  one  may  meet  with  bad 
weather  in  the  crossing. 

In  fact,  many  weeks  of  bad  weather  had  pre- 
vailed. On  July  1,  however,  after  a  rude  gale,  the 
wind  came  out  nor'west  and  clear,  propitious  for  a 
good  run.  On  the  following  day,  the  head  sea  hav- 
ing gone  down,  I  sailed  from  Yarmouth,  and  let  go 
my  last  hold  on  America.  The  log  of  my  first  day 
on  the  Atlantic  in  the  Spray  reads  briefly :  "  9 :  30 
A.  M.  sailed  from  Yarmouth.  4 :  30  p.  M.  passed  Cape 
Sable ;  distance,  three  cables  from  the  land.  The 
sloop  making  eight  knots.  Fresh  breeze  N.W." 
Before  the  sun  went  down  I  was  taking  my  supper 


28 


n 


I     i( 


|!- 


24 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


of  strawberries  and  tea  in  smooth  water  under  the 
lee  of  the  east-coast  land,  along  which  the  Sjpray 
was  now  leisurely  skirting. 

At  noon  on  July  3  Ironbound  Island  was  abeam. 
The  Spray  was  again  at  her  best.  A  large  schooner 
came  out  of  Liverpool,  Nova  Scotia,  this  morning, 
steering  eastward.  The  Spray  put  her  hull  down 
astern  in  five  hours.  At  6 :  45  p.  m.  I  was  in  close 
under  Chebucto  Head  light,  near  Halifax  harbor.  I 
set  my  flag  and  squared  away,  taking  my  departure 
from  George's  Island  before  dark  to  sail  east  of 
Sable  Island.  There  are  many  beacon  lights  along 
the  coast.  Sambro,  the  Rock  of  Lamentations, 
carries  a  noble  light,  which,  however,  the  liner 
Atlantic,  on  the  night  o*  her  terrible  disaster,  did 
not  see.  I  watched  light  after  light  sink  astern  as 
I  sailed  into  the  unbounded  sea,  till  Sambro,  the 
last  of  them  all,  was  below  the  horizon.  The  Spray 
was  then  alone,  and  sailing  on,  she  held  her  course, 
July  4,  at  6  a.  m.,  I  put  in  double  reefs,  and  at  8 :  30 
A.  M.  turned  out  all  reefs.  At  9 :  40  p.  M.  I  raised  the 
sheen  only  of  the  light  on  the  west  cid  of  Sable 
Island,  which  may  also  be  called  the  Island  of 
Tragedies.  The  fog,  which  till  this  moment  had 
held  off,  now  lowered  over  the  sea  like  a  pall.  I 
was  in  a  world  of  fog,  shut  off  from  the  universe. 
I  did  not  see  any  more  of  the  light.  By  the  lead, 
which  I  cast  often,  I  found  that  a  little  after  mid- 
night I  was  passing  the  east  point  of  the  island, 
and  should  soon  be  clear  of  dangers  of  land  and 
shoals.  The  wind  was  holding  free,  though  it  was 
from  the  foggy  point,  south-southwest.  It  is  said 
that  within  a  few  years  Sable  Island  has  been 


IN  THE  OPEN  SEA 


36 


reduced  from  forty  miles  in  length  to  twenty,  and 
that  of  three  lighthouses  built  on  it  since  1880,  two 
have  been  washed  away  and  the  third  will  soon  be 
engulfed. 


«i 


Good  eveningi  sir. 


i» 


On  the  evening  of  July  5  the  Spray ^  after  having 
steered  all  day  over  a  lumpy  sea,  took  it  into  her 
head  to  go  without  the  helmsman's  aid.  I  had 
been  steering  southeast  by  south,  but  the  wind 
hauling  forward  a  bit,  she  dropped  into  a  smooth 


26 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


lane,  heading  southeast,  and  making  about  eight 
knots,  her  very  best  work.  I  crowded  on  sail  to 
cross  the  track  of  the  liners  without  loss  of  time, 
and  to  reach  as  soon  as  possible  the  friendly  Gulf 
Stream.  The  fog  lifting  before  night,  I  was 
afforded  a  look  at  the  sun  just  as  it  was  touching 
the  sea.  I  watched  it  go  down  and  out  of  sight. 
Then  I  turned  my  face  eastward,  and  there,  appa- 
rently at  the  very  end  of  the  bowsprit,  was  the 
smiling  full  moon  rising  out  of  the  sea.  Neptune 
himself  coming  over  the  bows  could  not  have  star- 
tled me  more.  "Good  evening,  sir,"  I  cried;  "I  'm 
glad  to  see  you.**  Many  a  long  talk  since  then  I 
have  had  with  the  man  in  the  moon ;  he  had  my 
confidence  on  the  voyage. 

About  midnight  the  fog  shut  down  again  denser 
than  ever  before.  One  could  almost  "stand  on  it." 
It  continued  so  for  a  number  of  days,  the  wind  in- 
creasing to  a  gale.  The  waves  rose  high,  but  I  had 
a  good  ship.  Still,  in  the  dismal  fog  I  felt  myself 
drifting  into  loneliness,  an  insect  on  a  straw  in  the 
midst  of  the  elements.  I  lashed  the  helm,  and  my 
vessel  held  her  course,  and  while  she  sailed  I  slept. 

During  these  days  a  feeling  of  awe  crept  over 
me.  My  memory  worked  with  startling  power.  The 
ominous,  the  insignificant,  the  great,  the  small,  the 
wonderful,  the  commonplace — all  appeared  before 
my  mental  vision  in  magical  succession.  Pages  of 
my  history  were  recalled  which  had  been  so  long 
forgotten  that  they  seemed  to  belong  to  a  previous 
existence.  I  heard  all  the  voices  of  the  past  laugh- 
ing, crying,  telling  what  I  had  heard  them  tell  in 
many  corners  of  the  earth. 


THE  FIRST  BIT  OP  LONELINESS 


27 


t  eight 

sail  to 

►f  time, 

lyGulf 

I   was 

mching 

f  sight. 

3,  appa- 

yas  the 

feptune 

ve  star- 

;  "I  'm 

then  I 

liad  my 

L  denser 
i  on  it.** 
rind  in- 
it  I  had 
myself 
7  in  the 
md  my 
I  slept, 
t  over 
r.  The 
all,  the 
before 
ages  of 
o  long 
evious 
laugh- 
tell  in 


The  loneliness  of  my  state  wore  off  when  the 
gale  was  high  and  I  found  much  work  to  do. 
When  fine  weather  returned,  then  came  the  sense 
of  solitude,  which  I  could  not  shake  off.  I  used  my 
voice  often,  at  first  giving  some  order  about  the  af- 
fairs of  a  ship,  for  I  had  been  told  that  from  disuse 
I  should  lose  my  speech.  At  the  meridian  altitude 
of  the  sun  I  called  aloud,  "  Eight  bells,**  after  the 
custom  on  a  ship  at  sea.  Again  from  my  cabin  I 
cried  to  an  imaginary  man  at  the  helm,  "How  does 
she  head,  there t"  and  again,  "Is  she  on  her  course!** 
But  getting  no  reply,  I  was  reminded  the  more 
palpably  of  my  condition.  My  voice  sounded  hol- 
low on  the  empty  air,  and  I  dropped  the  practice. 
However,  it  was  not  long  before  the  thought  came 
to  me  that  when  I  was  a  lad  I  used  to  sing ;  why 
not  try  that  now,  where  it  would  disturb  no  one  ? 
My  musical  talent  had  never  bred  envy  in  others, 
but  out  on  the  Atlantic,  to  realize  what  it  meant, 
you  should  have  heard  me  sing.  You  should  have 
seen  the  porpoises  leap  when  I  pitched  my  voice 
for  the  waves  and  the  sea  and  all  that  was  in  it. 
Old  turtles,  with  large  eyes,  poked  their  heads  up 
out  of  the  sea  as  I  sang  "Johnny  Boker,**  and 
"  We  *11  Pay  Darby  Doyl  for  his  Boots,**  and  the 
Uke.  But  the  porpoises  were,  on  the  whole,  vastly 
more  appreciative  than  the  turtles;  they  jumped 
a  deal  higher.  One  day  when  I  was  humming  a 
favorite  chant,  I  think  it  was  "Babylon  *s  a-Fallin*,** 
a  porpoise  jumped  higher  than  the  bowsprit.  Had 
the  Spray  been  going  a  little  faster  she  would  have 
scooped  hi  m  in.  Th^  sea-birds  sailed  around  rather 
shy. 


\ 


28 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


July  10,  eight  days  at  sea,  the  Spray  was  twelve 
hundred  miles  east  of  Cape  Sable.  One  hundred 
and  fifty  mJles  a  day  for  so  small  a  vessel  must  be 
considered  good  sailing.  It  was  the  greatest  run 
the  Spray  ever  made  before  or  since  in  so  few  days. 
On  the  evening  of  July  14,  in  better  humor  than 
ever  before,  all  hands  cried,  "  Sail  ho ! "  The  sail 
was  a  barkantine,  three  points  on  the  weather  bow, 
hull  down.  Then  came  the  night.  My  ship  was 
sailing  along  now  without  attention  to  the  helm. 
The  wind  was  south ;  she  was  heading  east.  Her 
sails  were  trimmed  like  the  sails  of  the  nautilus. 
They  drew  steadily  all  night.  I  went  frequently 
on  deck,  but  found  all  well.    A  merry  breeze  kept 

on  from  the 
-^  south.  Early 
in  the  morn- 
ing   of    the 
15th         the 
Spray      was 
close  aboard 
the  stranger,  which  proved  to 
be  La  Vaguisa  of  Vigo,  twenty- 
three  days  from  Philadelphia, 
bound  for  Vigo.    A   lookout 
from  his  masthead  had  spied 
the  Spray  the  evening  before. 
The  captain,  when  I  came  near 

«'He  also  sent  his  card."  enough,  threw  a  line  to  me  and 

sent  a  bottle  of  wine  across 
slung  by  the  neck,  and  very  good  wine  it  was.  He 
also  sent  his  card,  which  bore  the  name  of  Juan 
Gautes.    I  think  he  was  a  good  man,  as  Spaniards 


.D 


WOBDS  WITH  THE  CAPTAIN  OF  THE  "JAVA**      29 


as  twelve 
hundred 
[  must  be 
atest  run 
few  days, 
mor  than 

The  sail 
ther  bow, 
ship  was 
the  helm, 
ast.  Her 
nautilus, 
pequently 
eeze  kept 
from  the 
bh.  Early 
he  morn- 

of  the 
the 
ay  was 
e  aboard 
)roved  to 
,  twenty- 
adelphia, 

lookout 
ad  spied 
g  before, 
ame  near 
0  me  and 
e  across 
was.    He 

of  Juan 
Spaniards 


go.  But  when  I  asked  him  to  report  me  "all  well" 
(the  Spray  passing  him  in  a  lively  manner),  he 
hauled  his  shoulders  much  above  his  head;  and 
when  his  mate,  who  knew  of  my  expedition,  told 
him  that  I  was  alone,  he  crossed  himself  and  made 
for  his  cabin.  I  did  not  see  him  again.  By  sun- 
down he  was  as  far  astern  as  he  had  been  ahead 
the  evening  before. 

There  was  now  less  and  less  monotony.  On  July 
16  the  wind  was  northwest  and  clear,  the  sea 
smooth,  and  a  large  bark,  hull  down,  came  in  sight 
on  the  lee  bow,  and  at  2:30  p.m.  I  spoke  the 
stranger.  She  was  the  bark  Java  of  Glasgow,  from 
Peru  for  Queenstown  for  orders.  Her  old  captain 
was  bearish,  but  I  met  a  bear  once  in  Alaska  that 
looked  pleasanter.  At  least,  the  bear  seemed 
pleased  to  meet  me,  but  this  grizzly  old  man ! 
Well,  I  suppose  my  hail  disturbed  his  siesta,  and 
my  little  sloop  passing  his  great  ship  had  some- 
whtbt  the  effect  on  him  that  a  red  rag  has  upon  a 
bull.  I  had  the  advantage  over  heavy  ships,  by 
long  odds,  in  the  light  winds  of  this  and  the  two 
previous  days.  The  wind  was  light ;  his  ship  was 
heavy  and  foul,  making  poor  headway,  while  the 
Spray ^  with  a  great  mainsail  bellying  even  to  light 
winds,  was  just  skipping  along  as  nimbly  as  one 
could  wish.  "How  long  has  it  been  calm  about 
here  f "  roared  the  captain  of  the  Java^  as  I  came 
within  hail  of  him.  "  Dun  no,  cap'n,''  I  shouted 
back  as  loud  as  I  could  bawl.  "I  have  n't  been 
here  long."  At  this  the  mato  on  the  forecastle 
wore  a  broad  giin.  "  I  left  Jape  Sable  fourteen 
days  ago,''  I  added.    (I  was  now  well  across  toward 


THE  STEAMSHIP  "OLYMPIA"  SPOKEN 


31 


i 


CO 

I 


I 

I 
I 

I 
I 

a> 

OQ 

o 

V 
9 


1 

6 


the  Azores.)  "  Mate,''  he  roared  to  his  chief  officer 
—  **mate,  come  here  and  listen  to  the  Yankee's 
yarn.  Haul  down  the  flag,  mate,  haul  down  the 
flag!"  In  the  best  of  humor,  after  all,  the  Java 
surrendered  to  the  Spray, 

The  acute  pain  of  solitude  experienced  at  first 
never  returned.  I  had  penetrated  a  mystery,  and, 
by  the  way,  I  had  sailed  through  a  fog.  I  had  met 
Neptune  in  his  wrath,  but  he  found  that  I  had  not 
treated  him  with  contempt,  and  so  he  suffered  me 
to  go  on  and  explore. 

In  the  log  for  July  18  there  is  this  entry :  "  Fine 
weather,  wind  south-southwest.  Porpoises  gam- 
boling all  about.  The  S.  S.  Ohjmpia  passed  at 
11:30  A.M.,  long.  W.  34°  50'." 

"It  lacks  now  three  minutes  of  the  half-hour," 
shouted  the  captain,  as  he  gave  me  the  longitude 
and  the  time.  I  admired  the  businesslike  air  of  the 
Olympia;  but  I  have  the  feeling  still  that  the  cap- 
tain was  just  a  little  too  precise  in  his  reckoning. 
That  may  be  all  well  enough,  however,  where  there 
is  plenty  of  sea-room.  But  over-confidence,  I  be- 
lieve, was  the  cause  of  the  disaster  to  the  liner  At" 
lantiCy  and  many  more  like  her.  The  captain  knew 
too  well  where  he  was.  There  were  no  porpoises 
at  all  skipping  along  with  the  Olympia  !  Porpoises 
always  prefer  sailing-ships.  The  captain  was  a 
young  man,  I  observed,  and  had  before  him,  I 
hope,  a  good  record. 

Land  ho !  On  the  morning  of  July  19  a  mystic 
dome  like  a  mountain  of  silver  stood  alone  in  the 
sea  ahead.  Although  the  land  was  completely 
hidden  by  the  white,  glistening  haze  that  shone  iu 


32 


SAILING  ALONE  ABOUND  THE  WORLD 


the  sun  like  polished  silver,  I  felt  quite  sure  that  it 
was  Flores  Island.  At  half-past  four  p.  m.  it  was 
abeam.  The  haze  in  the  meantime  had  disappeared. 
Flores  is  one  hundred  and  seventy-four  miles  from 
Fayal,  and  although  it  is  a  high  island,  it  remained 
many  years  undiscovered  after  the  principal  group 
of  the  islands  had  been  colonized. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  July  20  I  saw  Pico 
looming  above  the  clouds  on  the  starboard  bow. 
Lower  lands  burst  forth  as  the  sun  burned  away 


The  island  of  Pico. 


the  morning  fog,  and  island  after  island  came  into 
view.  As  I  approached  nearer,  cultivated  fields 
appeared,  "  and  oh,  how  green  the  corn  !  ^  Only 
those  who  have  roen  the  Azores  from  the  deck  of  a 
vessel  realize  the  beauty  of  the  mid-ocean  picture. 
At  4:30  p.  M.I  cast  anchor  at  Fayal,  exactly 
eighteen  days  from  Cape  Sable.  The  American 
consul,  in  a  smart  boat,  came  alongside  before 
the  Spray  reached  the  breakwater,  and  a  young 
naval  officer,  who  feared  for  the  safety  of  my  ves- 
sel, boarded,  and  offered  his  services  as  pilot.  The 
youngster,  I  have  no  good  reason  to  doubt,  could 
have  handled  a  man-of-war,  but  the  Spray  was  too 
small  for  the  amount  of  uniform  he  wore.  How- 
ever, after  fouling  all  the  craft  in  port  and  sinking 
a  lighter,  she  was  moored  without  much  damage  to 


ABBIVAL  AT  THE  AZORES 


33 


herself.  This  wonderful  pilot  expected  a  "  gratifica- 
tion,** I  understood,  but  whether  for  the  reason  that 
his  government,  and  not  I,  would  have  to  pay  the 
cost  of  raising  the  lighter,  or  because  he  did  not 
sink  the  Spray ,  I  could  never  make  out.  But  I 
forgive  him. 

It  was  the  season  for  fruit  when  I  arrived  at  the 
Azores,  and  there  was  soon  more  of  all  kinds  of  it 
put  on  board  than  I  knew  \7hat  to  do  with.  Isl- 
anders are  always  the  kindest  people  in  the  world, 
and  I  met  none  anywhere  kinder  than  the  good 
hearts  of  this  place.  The  people  of  the  Azores  are 
not  a  very  rich  community.  The  burden  of  taxes 
is  heavy,  with  scant  privileges  in  return,  the  air 
they  breathe  being  about  the  only  thing  that  is  not 
taxed.  The  mother-country  does  not  even  allow 
them  a  port  of  entry  for  a  foreign  mail  service.  A 
packet  passing  never  so  close  with  mails  for  Horta 
must  deliver  them  first  in  Lisbon,  ostensibly  to  be 
fumigated,  but  really  for  the  tariff  from  the  packet. 
My  own  letters  posted  at  Horta  reached  the  United 
States  six  days  behind  my  letter  from  Gibraltar, 
mailed  thirteen  days  later. 

The  day  after  my  arrival  at  Horta  was  the  feast 
of  a  great  saint.  Boats  loaded  with  people  came 
from  other  islands  to  celebrate  at  Horta,  the  capi- 
tal, or  Jerusalem,  of  the  Azores.  The  deck  of  the 
Spray  was  crowded  from  morning  till  night  with 
men,  women,  and  children.  On  the  day  after  the 
feast  a  kind-hearted  native  harnessed  a  team  and 
drove  me  a  day  over  the  beautiful  roads  all  about 
Fayal,  "because,**  said  he,  in  broken  English, 
"when  I  was  in  America  and  could  n't  speak  a 


84 


SAILINQ  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


word  of  English,  I  found  it  hard  till  I  met  some  one 
who  seemed  to  have  time  to  listen  to  my  story,  and 
I  promised  my  good  saint  then  that  if  ever  a 
stranger  came  to  my  country  I  would  try  to  make 
him  happy.''  Unfortunately,  this  gentleman  brought 
along  an  interpreter,  that  I  might  "  learn  more  of 
the  country."  The  fellow  was  nearly  the  death  of 
me,  talking  of  ships  and  voyages,  and  of  the  boats 
he  had  steered,  the  last  thing  in  the  world  I  wished 
to  hear.  He  had  sailed  out  of  New  Bedford,  so  he 
said,  for  "that  Joe  Wing  they  call  *  John."'  My 
friend  and  host  found  hardly  a  chance  to  edge  in  a 
word.  Before  we  parted  my  host  dined  me  with 
a  cheer  that  would  have  gladdened  the  heart  of  a 
prince,  but  he  was  quite  alone  in  his  house.  "  My 
wife  and  children  all  rest  there,"  said  he,  pointing 
to  the  churchyard  across  the  way.  "I  moved  to 
this  house  from  far  off,"  he  added,  "  to  be  near  the 
spot,  where  I  pray  every  morning." 

I  remained  four  days  at  Fayal,  and  that  was  two 
days  more  than  I  had  intended  to  stay.  It  was  the 
kindness  of  the  islanders  and  their  touching  sim- 
plicity which  detained  me.  A  damsel,  as  innocent 
as  an  angel,  came  alongside  one  day,  and  said  she 
would  embark  on  the  Spray  if  I  would  land  her  at 
Lisbon.  She  could  cook  flying-fish,  she  thought, 
but  her  forte  was  dressing  hacalhao.  Her  brother 
Antonio,  who  served  as  interpreter,  hinted  that, 
anyhow,  he  would  like  to  make  the  trip.  Antonio's 
heart  went  out  to  one  John  Wilson,  and  he  was 
ready  to  sail  for  America  by  way  of  the  two  capes 
to  meet  his  friend.  "  Do  you  know  John  Wilson 
of  Boston  ? "  he  cried.    "  I  knew  a  John  Wilson,"  I 


'i 


"■-) 


5ome  one 
tory,  and 
f  ever  a 
to  make 
L  brought 
more  of 
death  of 
he  boats 
I  wished 
rd,  so  he 
a:^  My 
jdge  in  a 
me  with 
eart  of  a 
e.  "My 
pointing 
aoved  to 
near  the 

was  two 

;  was  the 

ng  sim- 

nnocent 

said  she 

i  her  at 

bought, 

brother 

)d  that, 

ntonio's 

he  was 

3  capes 

Wilson 

Ison,"  I 


Chart  of  the  Spray's  Atlantic  voyages  from  Boston  to  Gibraltar, 
thence  to  the  Strait  of  Magellan,  in  1895,  and  finally  home- 
ward bound  from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  in  1898. 


86 


SAILING  ALONE  ABOUND  THE  WORLD 


said,  "  but  not  of  Boston."  "  He  had  one  daughter 
and  one  son,**  said  Antonio,  by  way  of  identifying 
his  friend.  If  this  reaches  the  right  John  Wilson, 
I  am  told  to  say  that  "Antonio  of  Pico  remembers 
hioL" 


i 


f 


CHAPTER  IV 


Squally  weather  in  the  Azores  —  High  living  —  Delirious  from  cheese 
and  plums — The  pilot  of  the  Pinta  —  At  Gibraltar  —  Compliments 
exchanged  with  the  British  navy — A  picnic  on  the  Morocco 
shore. 

I  SET  sail  from  Horta  early  on  July  24.  The  south- 
west wiud  at  the  time  was  light,  but  squalls  came 
up  with  the  sun,  and  I  was  glad  enough  to  get  reefs 
in  my  sails  before  I  had  gone  a  mile.  I  had  hardly 
set  the  main  sail,  double-reefed,  when  a  squall  of  wind 
down  the  mountains  struck  the  sloop  with  such 
violence  that  I  thought  her  mast  would  go.  How- 
ever, a  quick  helm  brought  her  to  the  wind.  As  it 
was,  one  of  the  weather  lanyards  was  carried  away 
and  the  other  was  stranded.  My  tin  basin,  caught 
up  by  the  wind,  went  flying  across  a  French  school- 
ship  to  leeward.  It  was  more  or  less  squally  all 
day,  sailing  along  under  high  land ;  but  rounding 
close  under  a  bluff,  I  found  an  opportunity  to  mend 
the  lanyards  broken  in  the  squall.  No  sooner  had 
I  lowered  my  sails  when  a  four-oared  boat  shot  out 
from  some  gully  in  the  rocks,  with  a  customs  officer 
on  board,  who  thought  he  had  come  upon  a  smug- 
gler. I  had  some  difficulty  in  making  him  compre- 
hend the  true  case.  However,  one  of  his  crew,  a 
sailorly  chap,  who  understood  how  matters  were, 
while  we  palavered  jumped  on  board  and  rove  off 

87 


88 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


I!' 


the  new  lanyards  I  had  alrear^y  prepared,  and  with 
a  friendly  hand  helped  me  **set  up  the  rigging.'' 
This  incident  gave  the  turn  in  my  favor.  My  story 
was  then  clear  to  all.  I  have  found  this  the  way 
of  the  world.  Let  one  be  without  a  friend,  and  see 
what  will  happen ! 

Passing  the  island  of  Pico,  after  the  rigging  was 
mended,  the  Spray  stretched  across  to  leeward  of 
the  island  of  St.  Michael's,  which  she  was  up  with 
early  on  the  morning  of  July  26,  the  wind  blowing 
hard.  Later  in  the  day  she  passed  the  Prince  of 
Monaco's  fine  steam-yacht  bound  to  Fayal,  where, 
on  a  previous  voyage,  the  prince  had  slipped  his 
cables  to  "  escape  a  reception  "  which  the  padres  of 
the  island  wished  to  give  him.  Why  he  so  dreaded 
the  "ovation"  I  could  not  make  out.  At  Horta 
they  did  not  know.  Since  reaching  the  islands  I 
had  lived  most  luxuriously  on  fresh  bread,  butter, 
vegetables,  and  fruits  of  all  kinds.  Plums  seemed 
the  most  plentiful  on  the  Spray,  and  these  I  ate 
without  stint.  I  had  also  a  Pico  white  cheesa  that 
General  Manniug,  the  American  consul-general, 
had  given  me,  which  I  supposed  was  to  be  eaten, 
and  of  this  I  partook  with  the  plums.  Alas !  by 
night-time  I  was  doubled  up  with  cramps.  The 
wind,  which  was  already  a  smart  breeze,  was  in- 
creasing somewhat,  with  a  heavy  sky  to  the  sou'- 
west.  Reefs  had  been  turned  out,  and  I  must  turn 
them  in  again  somehow.  Between  cramps  I  got 
the  mainsail  down,  hauled  out  the  earings  as  best  I 
could,  and  tied  away  point  by  point,  in  the  double 
reef.  There  being  sea-room,  I  should,  in  strict  pru- 
dence, have  made  all  snug  and  gone  down  at  once 


DELIRIOUS  FROM  CHEESE  AND  PLUMS 


89 


to  my  cabin.  I  am  a  careful  man  at  sea,  but  this 
night,  in  the  coming  storm,  I  swayed  up  my  sails, 
which,  reefed  though  they  were,  were  still  too  much 
in  such  heavy  weather ;  and  I  saw  to  it  that  the 
sheets  were  securely  belayed.  In  a  word,  I  should 
have  laid  to,  but  did  not.  I  gave  her  the  double- 
reefed  mainsail  and  whole  jib  instead,  and  set  her 
on  her  course.  Then  I  went  below,  and  threw  my- 
self upon  the  cabin  floor  in  great  pain.  How  long 
I  lay  there  I  could  not  tell,  for  I  became  delirious. 
When  I  came  to,  as  I  thought,  from  my  swoon,  I 
realized  that  the  sloop  was  plunging  into  a  heavy 
sea,  and  looking  out  of  the  companionway,  to  my 
amazement  I  saw  a  tall  man  at  the  helm.  His 
rigid  hand,  grasping  the  spokes  of  the  wheel,  held 
them  as  in  a  vise.  One  may  imagine  my  astonish- 
ment. His  rig  was  that  of  a  foreign  sailor,  and  the 
large  red  cap  he  wore  was  cockbilled  over  his  left 
ear,  and  all  was  set  off  with  shaggy  black  whiskers. 
He  would  have  been  taken  for  a  pirate  in  any  part 
of  the  world.  While  I  gazed  upon  his  threatening 
aspect  I  forgot  the  storm,  and  wondered  if  he  had 
come  to  cut  my  throat.  This  he  seemed  to  divine, 
"  Senor,"  said  he,  doffing  his  cap,  "  I  have  come  to 
do  you  no  harm."  And  a  smile,  the  faintest  in  the 
world,  but  still  a  smile,  played  on  his  face,  which 
seemed  not  unkind  when  he  spoke.  "  I  have  come 
to  do  you  no  harm.  I  have  sailed  free,**  he  said, 
"  but  was  never  worse  than  a  contrahandista,  I  am 
one  of  Columbus's  crew,"  he  continued.  "  I  am  the 
pilot  of  the  Pinta  come  to  aid  you.  Lie  quiet, 
senor  captain,"  he  added, "  and  I  will  guide  your 
ship  to-night.    You  have  a  calenturay  but  you  will 


40 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


be  all  right  to-morrow.''  I  thought  what  a  very 
devil  he  was  to  carry  sail.  Again,  as  if  he  read  my 
mind,  he  exclaimed :  "  Yonder  is  the  Pinta  ahead ; 


The  apparition  at  the  wheel. 

we  must  overtake  her.  Give  her  sail;  give  her 
sail  I  Vale,  vaky  mwj  vale  !  "  Biting  off  a  large  quid 
of  black  twist,  he  said:  "You  did  wrong,  captain, 
to  mix  cheese  with  plums.    White  cheese  is  never 


THE  PILOT  OP  THE  "PINT A" 


41 


safe  unless  you  know  whence  it  comes.  Quien  sahcy 
it  may  have  been  from  leche  de  Capra  and  becoming 
capricious " 

"  Avast,  there !  ^  I  cried.  "  I  have  no  mind  for 
moralizing." 

I  made  shift  to  spread  a  mattress  and  lie  on  that 
instead  of  the  hard  floor,  my  eyes  all  the  while 
fastened  on  my  strange  guest,  who,  remarking 
again  that  I  would  have  "only  pains  and  calen- 
tura,"  chuckled  as  he  chanted  a  wild  song : 

High  are  the  waves,  fierce,  gleaming, 

High  is  the  tempest  roar  I 
High  the  sea-bird  screaming ! 

High  the  Azore  I 

I  suppose  I  was  now  ou  the  mend,  for  I  was  pee- 
vish, and  complained :  "  I  detest  your  jingle.  Your 
Azore  should  be  at  roost,  and  would  have  been 
were  it  a  respectable  bird ! "  I  begged  he  would  tie 
a  rope-yarn  on  the  rest  of  the  song,  if  there  was  any 
more  of  it.  I  was  still  in  agony.  Great  seas  were 
boarding  the  Spray,  but  in  my  fevered  brain  I 
thought  they  were  boats  falling  on  deck,  that  care- 
less draymen  were  throwing  from  wagons  on  the 
pj  jt  to  which  I  imagined  the  Spray  was  now  moored, 
and  without  fenders  to  breast  her  off.  "You  '11 
smash  your  boats  I "  I  called  out  again  and  again, 
as  the  seas  crashed  on  the  cabin  over  my  head. 
"  You  11  smash  your  boats,  but  you  can't  hurt  the 
Spray,    She  is  strong ! "  I  cried. 

I  found,  when  my  pains  and  calentura  had  gone, 
that  the  deck,  now  as  white  as  a  shark's  tooth  from 
seas  washing  over  it,  had  been  swept  of  every- 


42 


SAILma  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


■^1 


''  1' 


;: 


thing  movable.  To  my  astonishment,  I  saw  now 
at  broad  day  that  the  Spray  was  still  heading  as  I 
had  left  her,  and  was  going  like  a  race-horse. 
Columbus  himself  could  not  have  held  her  more 
exactly  on  her  course.  The  sloop  had  made  ninety 
miles  in  the  night  through  a  rough  sea.  I  felt 
grateful  to  the  old  pilot,  but  I  marveled  some  that 
he  had  not  taken  in  the  jib.  The  gale  was  moder- 
ating, and  by  noon  the  sun  was  shining.  A  merid- 
ian altitude  and  the  distance  on  the  patent  log, 
which  I  always  kept  towing,  told  me  that  she  had 
made  a  true  course  throughout  the  twenty-four 
hours.  I  was  getting  much  better  now,  but  was 
very  weak,  and  did  not  turn  out  reefs  that  day  or 
the  night  following,  although  the  wind  fell  light ; 
but  I  just  put  my  wet  clothes  out  in  the  sun  when 
it  was  shining,  and  lying  down  there  myself,  fell 
asleep.  Then  who  should  visit  me  again  but  my 
old  friend  of  the  night  before,  this  time,  of  course, 
in  a  dream.  "  You  did  well  last  night  to  take  my 
advice,**  said  he,  "  and  if  you  would,  I  should  like 
to  be  with  you  often  on  the  voyage,  for  the  love 
of  adventure  alone."  Finishing  what  he  had  to 
say,  he  again  doffed  his  cap  and  disappeared  as 
mysteriously  as  he  came,  returning,  I  suppose,  to 
the  phantom  Pinta,  I  awoke  much  refreshed,  and 
with  the  feeling  that  I  had  been  in  the  presence  of 
a  friend  and  a  seaman  of  vast  experience.  I  gath- 
ered up  my  clothes,  which  by  this  time  were  dry, 
then,  by  inspiration,  I  threw  overboard  all  the 
plums  in  the  vessel. 

July  28  was  exceptionally  fine.    The  wind  from 
the  northwest  was  light  and  the  air  balmy.    I  over- 


mOH  LIYINQ 


43 


r  now 
as  I 

lorse. 
more 
inety 
[  felt 
)  that 
Loder- 
aerid- 
t  log, 
e  had 
i^-four 
t  was 
lay  or 
light; 
when 
if,  fell 
it  my 
ourse, 
:e  my 
ilike 
>  love 
d  to 
d  as 
»se,  to 

and 
ice  of 
jgath- 

dry, 
the 

Ifrom 
)ver- 


hauled  my  wardrobe,  and  bent  on  a  white  shirt 
against  nearing  some  coasting-packet  with  genteel 
folk  on  board.  I  also  did  some  washing  to  get  the 
salt  out  of  my  clothes.  After  it  all  I  was  hungry, 
so  I  made  a  fire  and  very  cautiously  stewed  a  dish 
of  pears  and  set  them  carefully  aside  till  I  had  made 
a  pot  of  delicious  coffee,  for  both  of  which  I  could 
afford  sugar  and  cream.  But  the  crowning  dish  of  all 
was  a  fish-hash,  and  there  was  enough  of  it  for  two. 
I  was  in  good  health  again,  and  my  appetite  was 
simply  ravenous.  While  I  was  dining  I  had  a  large 
onion  over  the  double  lamp  stewing  for  a  luncheon 
later  in  the  day.    High  living  to-day  I 

In  the  afternoon  the  Spray  came  upon  a  large 
turtle  asleep  on  the  sea.  He  awoke  with  my  har- 
poon through  his  neck,  if  he  awoke  at  all.  I  had 
much  difficulty  in  landing  him  on  deck,  which  I 
finally  accomplished  by  hooking  the  throat-halyards 
to  one  of  his  flippers,  for  he  was  about  as  heavy  as 
my  boat.  I  saw  more  turtles,  and  I  rigged  a  bur- 
ton ready  with  which  to  hoist  them  in ;  for  I  was 
obliged  to  lower  the  mainsail  whenever  the  halyards 
were  used  for  such  purposes,  and  it  was  no  small 
matter  to  hoist  the  large  sail  again.  But  the  turtle- 
steak  was  good.  I  found  no  fault  with  the  cook, 
and  it  was  the  rule  of  the  voyage  that  the  cook 
found  no  fault  with  me.  There  was  never  a  ship's 
crew  so  well  agreed.  The  bill  of  fare  that  evening 
was  turtle-steak,  tea  and  toast,  fried  potatoes,  stewed 
onions;  with  dessert  of  stewed  pears  and  cream. 

Sometime  in  the  afternoon  I  passed  a  barrel- 
buoy  adrift,  floating  light  on  the  water.  It  was 
painted  red,  and  rigged  with  a  signal-staff  about 


44 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


six  feet  high.  A  sudden  change  in  the  weather 
coming  on,  I  got  no  more  turtle  or  fish  of  any  sort 
before  reaching  port.  July  31  a  gale  sprang  up 
suddenly  from  the  north,  with  heavy  seas,  and  I 
shortened  sail.  The  Spray  made  only  fifty-one 
miles  on  her  course  that  day.  August  1  the  gale 
continued,  with  heavy  seas.  Through  the  night 
the  sloop  was  reaching,  under  close-reefed  main- 
sail and  bobbed  jib.  At  3  p.  m.  the  jib  was  washed 
off  the  bowsprit  and  blown  to  rags  and  ribbons. 
I  bent  the  "  jumbo  "  on  a  stay  at  the  night-heads. 
As  for  the  jib,  let  it  go ;  I  saved  pieces  of  it,  and, 
after  all,  I  was  in  want  of  pot-rags. 

On  August  3  the  gale  broke,  and  I  saw  many 
signs  of  land.  Bad  weather  having  made  itself 
felt  in  the  galley,  I  was  minded  to  try  my  hand  at 
a  loaf  of  bread,  and  so  figging  a  pot  of  fire  on  deck 
by  which  to  bake  it,  a  loaf  soon  became  an  accom- 
plished fact.  One  great  feature  about  ship's  cook- 
ing is  that  one's  appetite  on  the  sea  is  always  good 
—  a  fact  that  I  realized  when  I  cooked  for  the 
crew  of  fishermen  in  the  before-mentioned  boyhood 
days.  Dinner  being  over,  I  sat  for  hours  reading 
the  life  of  Columbus,  and  as  the  day  wore  on  I 
watched  the  birds  all  flying  in  one  direction,  and 
said,  "  Land  lies  there." 

Early  the  next  morning,  August  4, 1  discovered 
Spain.  I  saw  fires  on  shore,  and  knew  that  the 
country  was  inhabited.  The  Spray  continued  on 
her  course  till  well  in  with  the  land,  which  was 
that  about  Trafalgar.  Then  keeping  away  a  point, 
she  passed  through  the  Strait  of  Gibraltar,  where 
she  cast  anchor  at  3  p.  m.  of  the  same  day,  less 


• 


AT  GIBBALTAB 


46 


ather 
r  sort 
ig  up 
md  I 
y-one 
3  gale 
nigbt 
main- 
ashed 
Dbons. 
heads, 
t,  and, 

many 
I  itself 
and  at 
n  deck 
ccom- 
cook- 
sgood 
or  the 
)yhood 
eading 
e  on  I 
l)n,  and 


• 


than  twenty-nine  days  from  Cape  Sable.  At  the 
finish  of  this  preliminary  trip  I  found  myself  in 
excellent  health,  not  overworked  or  cramped,  but 
as  well  as  ever  in  my  life,  though  I  was  as  thin  as 
a  reef -point. 
Two  Italian  barks,  which  had  been  close  along- 


Coming  to  anchor  at  Gibraltar. 

side  at  daylight,  I  saw  long  after  I  had  anchored, 
passing  up  the  African  side  of  the  strait.  The 
Spray  had  sailed  them  both  hull  down  before  she 
reached  Tarif a.  So  far  as  I  know,  the  Spray  beat 
everything  going  across  the  Atlantic  except  the 
steamers. 
All  was  well,  but  I  had  forgotten  to  bring  a  bill 


i  ] 


I 


I 

f 


46 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


I  I 


of  health  from  Horta,  and  so  when  the  fierce  old 
port  doctor  came  to  inspect  there  was  a  row.  That, 
however,  was  the  very  thing  needed.  If  you  want 
to  get  on  well  with  a  true  Britisher  you  must  first 
have  a  deuce  of  a  row  with  him.  I  knew  that  well 
enough,  and  so  I  fired  away,  shot  for  shot,  as  best 
I  could.  "  Well,  yes,**  the  doctor  admitted  at  last, 
"  your  crew  are  healthy  enough,  no  doubt,  but  who 
knows  the  diseases  of  your  last  port  ? "  —  a  reason- 
able enough  remark.  "  We  ought  to  put  you  in 
the  fort,  sir!**  he  blustered;  "but  never  mind. 
Free  pratique,  sir  I  Shove  off,  cockswain  !"  And 
that  was  the  last  I  saw  of  the  port  doctor. 

But  on  the  following  morning  a  steam-launch, 
much  longer  than  the  Spray,  came  alongside, —  or 
as  much  of  her  as  could  get  alongside, —  with  com- 
pliments from  the  senior  naval  officer.  Admiral 
Bruce,  saying  there  was  a  berth  for  the  Sp'ay  at 
the  arsenal.  This  was  around  at  the  new  mole. 
I  had  anchored  at  the  old  mole,  among  the  native 
craft,  where  it  was  rough  and  uncomfortable.  Of 
course  I  was  glad  to  shift,  and  did  so  as  soon  as 
possible,  thinking  of  the  great  company  the  Spray 
would  be  in  among  battle-ships  such  as  the  Colling' 
wood,  Balfleur,  and  Cormorant^  whicii  were  at  that 
time  stationed  there,  and  on  board  all  of  which  I 
was  entertained,  later,  most  royally. 

"  *  Put  it  thar ! '  as  the  Americans  say,"  was  the 
salute  I  got  from  Admiral  Bruce,  when  I  called  at 
the  admiralty  to  thank  him  for  his  courtesy  of 
the  berth,  and  for  the  use  of  the  steam-launch 
which  towed  me  into  dock.  "About  the  berth, 
jt  is  all  right  if  it  suits,  and  we  '11  tow  you  out 


COMPLIMENTS  EXCHANGED 


47 


roe  old 
That, 
u  want 
ist  first 
lat  well 
as  best 
at  last, 
»ut  who 
reason- 
you  ill 
■  mind. 
"    And 

launch, 
de, —  or 
th  com- 
\.dmiral 
yp'ay  at 
V  mole, 
native 
ble.    Of 


when  you  are  ready  to  go.  But,  say,  what  repairs 
do  you  want  I  Ahoy  the  Hebe^  can  you  spare  your 
sailmaker?  The  Spray  wants  a  new  jib.  Con- 
struction and  repair,  there!  will  you  see  to  the 
Spray  f  Say,  old  man,  you  must  have  knocked 
the  devil  out  of  her  coming  over  alone  in  twenty- 


^<^ 


v.ix. 


The  Si)ray  at  auchor  off  Gibraltar. 


ras  the 
died  at 
:esy  of 
^launch 
berth, 
[ou  out 


nine  days!  But  we  11  make  it  smooth  for  you 
here ! "  Not  even  her  Majesty's  ship  the  Colling- 
ivood  was  better  looked  after  than  the  Spray  at 
Gibraltar. 

Later  in  the  day  came  the  hail :  "  Sjn'ay  ahoy ! 
Mrs.  Bruce  would  like  to  come  on  board  and 
shake  hands  with  the  Spray.  Will  it  be  con- 
venient to-day  ? "    "  Very ! "    I  joyfully  shouted. 


4S 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


; 


II 


On  the  following  day  Sir  F.  Carrington,  at  the 
time  governor  of  Gibraltar,  with  other  high  officers 
of  the  garrison,  and  all  the  commanders  of  the 
battle-ships,  came  on  board  and  signed  their  names 
in  the  Spray^s  log-book.  Again  there  was  a  hail, 
" Spray  ahoy  I "  "  Hello ! "  " Commander  EeynOids  's 
compliments.  You  are  invited  on  board  H.  M.  S. 
Collingwood,  *at  home'  at  4:30  p.m.  Not  later 
than  5:30  p.  M.''  I  had  already  hinted  at  the  lim- 
ited amount  of  my  wardrobe,  and  that  I  could 
never  succeed  as  a  dude.  "  You  are  expected,  sir, 
in  a  stovepipe  hat  and  a  claw-hammer  coat !  ^ 
"  Then  I  can't  come.**  "  Dash  it !  come  in  what 
you  have  on ;  that  is  what  we  mean."  "  Aye,  aye, 
sir ! "  The  Collingwood's  cheer  was  good,  and  had 
I  worn  a  silk  hat  as  high  as  the  moon  I  could 
not  have  had  a  better  time  or  been  made  more 
at  home.  An  Englishman,  even  on  his  great 
battle-ship,  unbends  when  the  stranger  passes 
his  gangway,  and  when  he  says  "at  home^  he 
means  it. 

That  one  should  like  Gibraltar  would  go  without 
saying.  How  could  one  help  loving  so  hospitable 
a  place  ?  Vegetables  twice  a  week  and  milk  every 
morning  came  from  the  palatial  grounds  of  the 
admiralty.  "  Spray  ahoy ! "  would  hail  the  admiral. 
"  Spray  ahoy !  ^  "  Hello  I  ^  "  To-morrow  is  your 
vegetable  day,  sir.'*    "  Aye,  aye,  sir  I " 

I  rambled  much  about  the  old  city,  and  a  gunner 
piloted  me  through  the  galleries  of  the  rock  as  far 
as  a  stranger  is  permitted  to  go.  There  is  no  ex- 
cavation in  the  world,  for  military  purposes,  at  all 
approaching  these  of  Gibraltar  in  conception  or 
execution.    Viewing  the  stupendous  works,  it  be- 


A  PICNIC  ON  THE  MOROCCO  8H0BB 


40 


at  the 
Dfficers 
of  the 
names 
a  hail, 
QOids  's 
[.  M.  S. 
t  later 
be  lim- 
;  could 
;ed,  sir, 
coat ! " 
ti  what 
re,  aye, 
nd  had 
[  could 


0  more 

great 

passes 

he**  he 


without 
pitable 
every 
of  the 
imiral. 
your 

runner 
as  far 
no  ex- 
at  all 
ion  or 
it  be- 


came hard  to  realize  that  one  was  within  the  Gib- 
raltar of  his  little  old  Morse  geography. 

Before  sailing  I  was  invited  on  a  picnic  with  the 
governor,  the  officers  of  the  garrison,  and  the  com- 
manders of  the  war-ships  at  the  station;  and  a 
royal  affair  it  was.  Torpedo-boat  No.  91,  going 
twenty-two  knots,  carried  our  party  to  the  Morocco 
shore  and  back.  The  day  was  perfect — too  fine, 
in  fact,  for  comfort  on  shore,  and  so  no  one  landed  at 
Morocco.  No.  91  trembled  like  an  aspen-leaf  as  she 
raced  through  the  sea  at  top  speed.  Sublieutenant 
Boucher,  apparently  a  mere  lad,  was  in  command, 
and  handled  his  ship  with  the  skill  of  an  older  sailor. 
On  the  following  day  I  lunched  with  General  Car- 
rington,  the  governor,  at  Line  Wall  House,  which 
was  once  the  Franciscan  convent.  In  this  interest- 
ing edifice  are  preserved  relies  of  the  fourteen  sieges 
which  Gibraltar  has  seen.  On  the  next  day  I  supped 
with  the  admiral  at  his  residence,  the  palace,  which 
was  once  the  convent  of  the  Mercenaries.  At  each 
place,  and  all  about,  I  felt  the  friendly  grasp  of  a 
manly  hand,  that  lent  me  vital  strength  to  pass  the 
coming  long  days  at  sea.  I  must  confess  that  the 
perfect  discipline,  order,  and  cheerfulness  at  Gib- 
raltar were  only  a  second  wonder  in  the  great 
stronghold.  The  vast  amount  of  business  going 
forward  caused  no  more  excitement  than  the  quiet 
sailing  of  a  well-appointed  ship  in  a  smooth  sea. 
No  one  spoke  above  his  natural  voice,  save  a 
boatswain's  mate  now  and  then.  The  Hon.  Horatio 
J.  Sprague,  the  venerable  United  States  consul  at 
Gibraltar,  honored  the  Spray  with  a  visit  on  Sun- 
day, August  24,  and  was  much  pleased  to  find  that 
our  British  cousins  had  been  so  kind  to  her. 


I 

li  :    ! 


h 


CHAPTER  V 

Sailing  from  Gibraltar  with  the  assistance  of  her  Majesty's  tug — 
The  Spray's  course  changed  from  the  Suez  Canal  to  Cape  Horn 
—  Chased  by  a  Moorish  pirate — A  comparison  with  Columbus — 
The  Canary  Islands — The  Cape  Verde  Islands — Sea  life  —  Arrival 
at  Pernambuco — A  bill  against  the  Brazilian  government — Pre- 
paring for  the  stormy  weather  of  the  cape. 

MONDAY,  August  25,  the  Spray  sailed  from  Gib- 
raltar, well  repaid  for  whatever  deviation  she 
had  made  from  a  direct  course  to  reach  the  place. 
A  tug  belonging  to  her  Majesty  towed  the  sloop  into 
the  steady  breeze  clear  of  the  mount,  where  her  sails 
caught  a  volant  wind,  which  carried  her  once  more 
to  the  Atlantic,  where  it  rose  rapidly  to  a  furious 
gale.  My  plan  was,  in  going  down  this  coast,  to 
haul  offshore,  well  clear  of  the  land,  which  her'd- 
abouts  is  the  home  of  pirates;  but  I  had  hardly 
accomplished  this  when  I  perceived  a  felucca 
making  out  of  the  nearest  port,  and  finally  follow- 
ing in  the  \7ake  of  the  Spray,  Now,  my  course 
to  Gibraltar  had  been  taken  with  a  view  to  proceed 
up  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  through  the  Suez  Canal, 
down  the  Eed  Sea,  and  east  about,  instead  of  a 
western  route,  which  I  finally  adopted.  By  officers 
of  vast  experience  in  navigating  these  seas,  I  was 
influenced  to  make  the  change.  Longshore  pirates 
on  both  coasts  being  numerous,  I  could  not  afford 

60 


I 


PAILING  FROM  GIBRALTAR 


61 


'g  tug — 
,pe  Horn 
luubus — 
-Arrival 
Qt-Pre- 


m  Gi  b- 

on  she 

I  place. 

3p  into 

ir  sails 

emore 

urious 

ast,  to 

here- 

ardly 

elucca 

bllow- 

50urse 

:oceed 

^anal, 

of  a 

Ifficers 

I  was 

lirates 

tfford 


to  make  light  of  the  advice.  But  here  I  was,  after 
all,  evidently  in  the  midst  of  pirates  and  thieves ! 
I  changed  my  course;  the  felucca  did  the  same, 
both  vessels  sailing  very  fast,  but  the  distance 
growing  less  and  less  between  us.  The  Spray 
was  doing  nobly ;  she  was  even  more  than  at  her 
best;  but,  in  spite  of  all  I  could  do,  she  would 
broach  now  and  then.  She  was  carrying  too  much 
sail  for  safety.  I  must  reef  or  be  dismasted  and 
lose  all,  pirate  or  no  pirate.  I  must  reef,  even  if  I 
had  to  grapple  with  him  for  my  life. 

I  was  not  long  in  reefing  the  mainsail  and  sweat- 
ing it  up  —  probably  not  more  than  fifteen  min- 
utes; but  the  felucca  had  in  the  meantime  so 
shortened  the  distance  between  us  that  I  now  saw 
the  tuft  of  hair  on  the  heads  of  the  crew, —  by  which, 
it  is  said,  Mohammed  will  pull  the  villains  up  into 
heaven,—  and  they  were  coming  on  like  the  wind. 
From  what  I  could  clearly  make  out  now,  I  felt 
them  to  be  the  sons  of  generations  of  pirates,  and  I 
saw  by  their  movements  that  they  were  now  pre- 
paring to  strike  a  blow.  The  exultation  on  their 
faces,  however,  was  changed  in  an  instant  to  a  look 
of  fear  and  rage.  Their  craft,  with  too  much  sail 
on,  broached  to  on  the  crest  of  a  great  wave. 
This  one  gi'eat  sea  changed  the  aspect  of  affairs 
suddenly  as  the  flash  of  a  gun.  Three  minutes 
later  the  same  wave  overtook  the  Spray  and  shook 
her  in  everv  timber.  At  the  same  moment  the 
sheet-strop  parted,  and  away  went  the  main-boom, 
broken  short  at  the  rigging.  Impulsively  I  sprang 
to  the  jib-halyards  and  down-haul,  anu  instantly 
downed  the  jib.    The  head-sail  being  off,  and  the 


52 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


'  I 


*H!i 


helm  put  hard  down,  the  sloop  came  in  the  wind 
with  a  bound.  While  shivering  there,  but  a  mo- 
ment though  it  was,  I  got  the  mainsail  down  and  se- 
cured inboard,  broken  boom  and  all.  How  I  got  the 
boom  in  before  the  sail  was  torn  I  hardly  know ; 
but  not  a  stitch  of  it  was  broken.  The  mainsail 
being  secured,  I  hoisted  away  the  jib,  and,  without 
looking  round,  stepped  quickly  to  the  cabin  and 
snatched  down  my  loaded  rifle  and  cartridges  at 
hand;  for  I  made  mental  calculations  that  the 
pirate  would  by  this  time  have  recovered  his  course 
and  be  close  aboard,  and  that  when  I  saw  him  it 
would  be  better  for  me  to  be  looking  at  him  along 
the  barrel  of  a  gun.  The  piece  was  at  my  shoulder 
when  I  peered  into  the  mist,  but  there  was  no 
pirate  within  a  mile.  The  wave  and  squall  that 
carried  away  my  boom  dismasted  the  felucca  out- 
right. I  perceived  his  thieving  crew,  some  dozen 
or  more  of  them,  struggling  to  recover  their  rigging 
from  the  sea.    Allah  blacken  their  faces  I 

I  sailed  comfortably  on  under  the  jib  and  fore- 
staysail,  which  I  now  set.  I  fished  the  boom  and 
furled  the  sail  snug  for  the  night;  then  hauled 
the  sloop's  head  two  points  offshore  to  allow  for 
the  set  of  current  and  heavy  rollers  toward  the 
land.  This  gave  me  the  wind  three  points  on  the 
starboard  quarter  and  a  steady  pull  in  the  headsails. 
By  the  time  I  had  things  in  this  order  it  was  dark, 
and  a  flying-fish  had  already  fallen  on  deck.  I 
took  him  below  for  my  supper,  but  found  myself  too 
tired  to  cook,  or  even  to  eat  a  thing  already  pre- 
pared. I  do  not  remember  to  have  been  more  tired 
before  or  since  in  all  my  life  than  I  was  at  the  fin- 


CHASED  BY  A  MOORISH  PIBATE 


53 


3  wind 
a  mo- 
md  se- 
^ot  the 
know; 
ainsail 
ithout 
n  and 
ges  at 
at  the 
course 
him  it 
along 
Lonlder 
ras  no 
11  that 
^a  out- 
dozen 
igging 

i  f ore- 
n  and 
auled 
)w  for 
•d  the 
on  the 
dsails. 
dark, 
fck.  I 
elf  too 
y  pre- 
tired 
le  fin* 


I 


ish  of  that  day.  Too  fatigued  to  sleep,  I  rolled  about 
with  the  motion  of  the  vessel  till  near  midnight, 
when  I  made  shift  to  dress  my  fish  and  prepare  a 
dish  of  tea.  I  fully  realized  now,  if  I  had  not  be- 
fore, that  the  voyage  ahead  would  call  for  exertions 
ardent  and  lasting.  On  August  27  nothing  could 
be  seen  of  the  Moor,  or  his  country  either,  except 


Chased  by  pirates. 

two  peaks,  away  in  the  east  through  the  clear  aL- 
mosphere  of  morning.  Soon  after  the  sun  rose 
even  these  were  obscured  by  haze,  much  to  my 
satisfaction. 

The  wind,  for  a  few  days  following  my  escape 
from  the  pirates,  blew  a  steady  but  moderate  gale, 
and  the  sea,  though  agitated  into  long  rollers,  was 
not  uncomfortably  rough  or  dangerous,  and  while 
sitting  in  my  cabin  I  could  hardly  realize  that  any 


64 


SAILING  ALONE  ABOUND  THE  WOKLD 


■i 


!  111! 


tii 


sea  was  running  at  all,  so  easy  was  the  long,  swing- 
ing motion  of  the  sloop  over  the  waves.  All  dis- 
tracting uneasiness  and  excitement  being  now  over, 
I  was  once  more  alone  with  myself  in  the  realiza- 
tion that  I  was  on  the  mighty  sea  and  in  the  hands 
of  the  elements.  But  I  was  happy,  and  was  be- 
coming more  and  more  interested  in  the  voyage. 

Columbus,  in  the  Santa  Maria,  sailing  these  seas 
more  than  four  hundred  years  before,  was  not  so 
happy  as  /  nrr  i^o  sure  of  success  in  what  he  had 
undertakei:  li'  first  troubles  at  sea  had  already 
begun.  His  :rew  >ad  managed,  by  foul  play  or 
othervrise,  to  break  the  ship's  rudder  while  running 
before  probably  just  such  a  gale  as  the  Spray  had 
passed  through ;  and  there  was  dissension  en  the 
Santa  Maria,  something  that  was  unknown  on  the 
Spray. 

After  three  days  of  squalls  and  shifting  winds  I 
threw  myself  down  to  rest  and  sleep,  while,  with 
helm  lashed,  the  sloop  sailed  steadily  on  her  course. 

September  1,  in  the  early  morning,  land-clouds 
rising  ahead  told  of  the  Canary  Islands  not  far 
away.  A  change  in  the  weather  came  next  day: 
storm-clouds  stretched  their  arms  across  the  sky ; 
from  the  east,  to  all  appearances,  might  come  a 
fierce  harmattan,  or  from  the  south  might  come  the 
fierce  hurricane.  Every  point  of  the  compass 
threatened  a  wild  storm.  My  attention  was  turned 
to  reefing  sails,  and  no  time  was  to  be  lost  over  it, 
either,  for  the  sea  in  a  moment  was  confusion 
itself,  and  I  was  glad  to  head  the  sloop  three  points 
or  more  away  from  her  true  course  that  she  might 
ride  safely  over  the  waves.    I  was  now  scudding 


THE  CANABY  ISLANDS 


55 


II 


swing- 
ill  dis- 
w  over, 
realiza- 
)  hands 
^as  be- 
rage, 
se  seas 
not  so 
he  had 
ilready 
Jay  or 
inning 
ay  had 
en  the 
on  the 

inds  I 
),  with 
ourse. 
3louds 
ot  far 
day: 
)sky; 
ime  a 
le  the 
npass 
irned 
'-er  it, 
usion 
oints 
ight 
ding 


her  for  the  channel  between  Africa  and  the  island 
of  Fuerte Ventura,  the  easternmost  of  the  Canary 
Islands,  for  which  I  was  on  the  lookout.  At  2  p.  m., 
the  weather  becoming  suddenly  fine,  the  island 
stood  in  view,  already  abeam  to  starboard,  and 
not  more  than  seven  miles  off.  Fuerteventura 
is  twenty-seven  hundred  feet  high,  and  in  fine 
weather  is  visible  many  leagues  away. 

The  wind  freshened  in  the  night,  and  the  Spray 
had  a  fine  run  through  the  channel.  By  daylight, 
September  3,  she  was  twenty-five  miles  clear  of  all 
the  islands,  when  a  calm  ensued  which  was  the 
precursor  of  another  gale  of  winu  t'  At  soon  came 
on,  bringing  with  it  dust  from  uo  African  shore. 
It  howled  dismally  while  it  lasted,  and  though  it 
was  not  the  season  of  the  harmattan,  the  sea  in  the 
course  of  an  hour  was  discolored  with  a  reddish- 
brown  dust.  The  air  remained  thick  with  flying 
dust  all  the  afternoon,  but  the  wind,  veering  north- 
west at  night,  swept  it  back  to  land,  and  afforded 
the  Spray  once  more  a  clear  sky.  Her  mast  now 
bent  under  a  strong,  steady  pressure,  and  her  belly- 
ing sail  swept  the  sea  as  she  rolled  scuppers  under, 
courtesying  to  the  waves.  These  rolling  waves 
thrilled  me  as  they  tossed  my  ship,  passing  quickly 
under  her  keel.    This  was  grand  sailing. 

September  4,  the  wind,  still  fresh,  blew  from  the 
north-northeast,  and  the  sea  surged  along  with  the 
sloop.  About  noon  a  steamship,  a  bullock-droger, 
from  the  river  Plate  hove  in  sight,  steering  north- 
east, and  making  bad  weather  of  it.  I  signaled  her, 
but  got  no  answer.  She  was  plunging  into  the 
head  sea  and  rolling  in  a  most  astonishing  mannery 


66 


8AILIN0  ALONE  ABOUND  THE  WOItLD 


I 


HI 


U  1 


; 


HI. 


■  I 


and  from  the  way  she  yawed  one  might  have  said 
that  a  wild  steer  was  at  the  helm. 

On  the  morning  of  September  6  I  found  three 
flying-fish  on  deck,  and  a  fourth  one  down  the 
fore-scuttle  as  close  as  possible  to  the  frying-pan. 
It  was  the  best  haul  yet,  and  afforded  me  a  sump- 
tuous breakfast  and  dinner. 

The  Spray  had  now  settled  down  to  the  trade- 
winds  and  to  the  business  of  her  voyage.  Later 
in  the  day  another  droger  hove  in  sight,  rolling 
as  badly  as  her  predecessor.  I  threw  out  no 
flag  to  this  one,  but  got  the  worst  of  it  for  pass- 
ing under  her  lee.  She  was,  indeed,  a  stale  one ! 
And  the  poor  cattle,  how  they  bellowed!  The 
time  was  when  ships  passing  one  another  at  sea 
backed  their  topsails  and  had  a  "gam,"  and  on 
parting  fired  guns ;  but  those  good  old  days  have 
gone.  People  have  hardly  time  nowadays  to  speak 
even  on  the  broad  ocean,  where  news  is  news,  and 
as  for  a  salute  of  guns,  they  cannot  afford  the 
powder.  There  are  no  poetry-enshrined  freighters 
on  the  sea  now ;  it  is  a  prosy  life  when  we  have  no 
time  to  bid  one  another  good  morning. 

My  ship,  running  now  in  the  full  swing  of  the 
trades,  left  me  days  to  myself  for  rest  and  recu- 
peration. I  employed  the  time  in  reading  and 
writing,  or  in  whatever  I  found  to  do  about  the 
rigging  and  the  sails  to  keep  them  all  in  order. 
The  cooking  was  always  done  quickly,  and  was  a 
small  matter,  as  the  bill  of  fare  consisted  mostly  of 
flying-fish,  hot  biscuits  and  butter,  potatoes,  coffee 
and  cream  —  dishes  readily  prepared. 

On  September  10  the  Sjpray  passed  the  island  of 


kve  said 

d  three 
wn  the 
ag-pan. 
>  sump- 
trade- 
Later 
rolliDg 
)ut  no 
r  pass- 
e  one! 
The 
at  sea 
.nd  on 
J  have 
speak 
ts,  and 
d  the 
:hters 
veno 


)f  the 
recu- 
and 
t  the 
)rder. 
Y8L8  a 
blyof 
joffee 

id  of 


THE  CAPE  VERDE  ISLANDS 


07 


II 


St.  Antonio,  the  northwesternmost  of  the  Cape 
Verdes,  close  aboard.  The  landfall  was  wonder- 
fully true,  considering  that  no  observations  for 
longitude  had  been  made.  The  wind,  northeast, 
as  the  sloop  drew  by  the  island,  was  very  squally, 
but  I  reefed  her  sails  snug,  and  steered  broad  from 
the  highland  of  blustering  St.  Antonio.  Then 
leaving  the  Cape  Verde  Islands  out  of  sight  astern, 
I  found  myself  once  more  sailing  a  lonely  sea  and 
in  a  solitude  supreme  all  around.  When  I  slept 
I  dreamed  that  I  was  alone.  This  feeling  never 
left  me ;  but,  sleeping  or  waking,  I  seemed  always 
to  know  the  position  of  the  sloop,  and  I  saw  my 
vessel  moving  across  the  chart,  which  became  a 
picture  before  me. 

One  night  while  I  sat  in  the  cabin  under  this 
spell,  the  profound  stillness  all  about  was  broken 
by  human  voices  alongside  I  I  sprang  instantly 
to  the  deck,  startled  beyond  my  power  to  tell. 
Passing  close  under  lee,  like  an  apparition,  was 
a  white  bark  under  full  sail.  The  sailors  on  board 
of  her  were  hauling  on  ropes  to  brace  the  yards, 
which  just  cleared  the  sloop's  mast  as  she  swept 
by.  No  one  hailed  from  the  white-winged  flier, 
but  I  heard  some  one  on  board  say  that  he  saw 
lights  on  the  sloop,  and  that  he  made  her  out 
to  be  a  fisherman.  I  sat  long  on  the  starlit  deck 
that  night,  thinking  of  ships,  and  watching  the 
constellatior  3  on  their  voyage. 

On  the  following  day,  September  13,  a  large  four- 
masted  ship  passed  some  distance  to  windward, 
heading  north. 

The  sloop  was  now  rapidly  drawing  toward  the 


68 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


p    (■ 


i 


i 


region  of  doldrums,  and  the  force  of  the  trade- 
winds  was  lessening.  I  could  see  by  the  ripples 
that  a  counter-current  had  set  in.  This  I  esti- 
mated to  be  about  sixteen  miles  a  day.  In  the 
heart  of  the  counter-stream  the  rate  was  more  than 
that  setting  eastward. 

September  14  a  lofty  three-masted  ship,  heading 
north,  was  seen  from  the  masthead.  Neither  this 
ship  nor  the  one  seen  yesterday  was  within  signal 
distance,  yet  it  was  good  even  to  see  them.  On 
the  following  day  heavy  rain-clouds  rose  in  the 
south,  obscuring  the  sun;  this  was  ominous  of 
doldrums.  On  the  16th  the  Spray  entered  this 
gloomy  region,  to  battle  with  squalls  and  to  be 
harassed  by  fitful  calms ;  for  this  is  the  state  of  the 
elements  between  the  northeast  and  the  southeast 
trades,  where  each  wind,  struggling  in  turn  for 
mastery,  expends  its  force  whirling  about  in  all 
directions.  Making  this  still  more  trying  to  one's 
nerve  and  patience,  the  sea  was  tossed  into  con- 
fused cross-lumps  and  fretted  by  eddying  currents. 
As  if  something  more  were  needed  to  complete  a 
sailor's  discomfort  in  this  state,  the  rain  poured 
down  in  torrents  day  and  night.  The  Sjpray  strug- 
gled and  tossed  for  ten  days,  making  only  three 
hundred  miles  on  her  course  in  all  that  time.  I 
did  n't  say  anything ! 

On  September  23  the  fine  schooner  Nantasket 
of  Boston,  from  Bear  Eiver,  for  the  river  Plate, 
lumber-laden,  and  just  through  the  doldrums,  came 
up  with  the  Spray,  and  her  captain  passing  a  few 
words,  she  sailed  on.  Being  much  fouled  on  the 
bottom  by  shell-fish,  she  drew  along  with  her  fishes 


I 


SEA  LIFE 


B9 


which  had  been  following  the  Spray^  which  was 
less  provided  with  that  sort  of  food.  Fishes  will 
always  follow  a  foul  ship.  A  barnacle-grown  log 
adrift  has  the  same  attraction  for  deep-sea  fishes. 
One  of  this  little  school  of  deserters  was  a  dolphin 
that  had  followed  the  Spray  about  a  thousand 
miles,  and  had  been  content  to  eat  scraps  of  food 
thrown  overboard  from  my  table ;  for,  having  been 
wounded,  it  could  not  dart  through  the  sea  to  prey 
on  other  fishes.  I  had  become  accustomed  to  see- 
ing the  dolphin,  which  I  knew  by  its  scars,  and 
missed  it  whenever  it  took  occasional  excursions 
away  from  the  sloop.  One  day,  after  it  had  been 
off  some  hours,  it  returned  in  company  with  three 
yellowtails,  a  sort  of  cousin  to  the  dolphin.  This 
little  school  kept  together,  except  when  in  danger 
and  when  foraging  about  the  sea.  Their  lives 
were  often  threatened  by  hungry  sharks  that  came 
round  the  vessel,  and  more  than  once  they  had 
narrow  escapes.  Their  mode  of  escape  interested 
me  greatly,  and  I  passed  hours  watching  them. 
They  would  dart  away,  each  in  a  different  direc- 
tion, so  that  the  wolf  of  the  sea,  the  shark,  pursu- 
ing one,  would  be  led  away  from  the  others ;  then 
after  a  while  they  would  all  return  and  rendezvous 
under  one  side  or  the  other  of  the  sloop.  Twice 
their  pursuers  were  diverted  by  a  tin  pan,  which  I 
t^^wed  astern  of  the  sloop,  and  which  was  mistaken 
for  a  bright  fish ;  and  while  turning,  in  the  peculiar 
wa}  that  sharks  have  when  about  to  devour  their 
prey,  I  shot  them  through  the  head. 

Their   precarious   life   seemed   to  concern   the 
yellowtails  very  little,  if  at  all.    All  living  br   gs, 


60 


BAILINa  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


without  donbt,  are  afraid  of  death.  Nevertho- 
less,  some  of  the  species  I  saw  huddle  together  as 
though  they  knew  they  were  created  for  the  larger 
fishes,  and  wished  to  give  the  least  possible  trouble 
to  their  captors.  I  have  seen,  on  the  other  hand, 
whales  swimming  in  a  circle  around  a  school  of 
herrings,  an  J  with  mighty  exertion  "bunching" 
them  together  in  a  whirlpool  set  in  motion  by  their 
finkes,  and  when  the  small  fry  were  all  whirled 
nicely  together,  one  or  the  other  of  the  leviathans, 
lunging;  through  the  center  with  open  jaws,  take  in 
a  boat-load  or  so  at  a  single  mouthful.  OS.  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope  I  saw  schools  of  sardines  ot 
other  rsmall  fish  being  treated  in  this  way  by  great 
numbers  of  cavally-fish.  There  was  not  the  slightest 
chance  of  escape  for  the  sardines,  while  the  cavally 
circled  round  and  round,  feeding  from  the  edge  of 
the  mass.  It  was  interesting  to  note  how  rapidly 
the  small  fry  disappeared;  and  though  it  was  re- 
peated before  my  eyes  over  and  over,  I  could  hardly 
perceive  the  capture  of  a  single  sardine,  so  dexter- 
ously was  it  done. 

Along  the  equatorial  limit  of  the  southeast  trade- 
winds  the  air  was  heavily  charged  with  electricity, 
and  there  was  much  thunder  and  lightning.  It  was 
hereabout  I  remembered  that,  a  few  years  before, 
the  American  ship  Alert  was  destroyed  by  lightning. 
Her  people,  by  wonderful  good  fortune,  were  res- 
cued on  the  same  day  and  brought  to  Pernambuco, 
where  I  then  met  them. 

On  September  25,  in  the  latitude  of  5°  N.,  longi- 
tude 26°  30'  W.,  I  spoke  the  ship  North  Star  of 
London.    The  great  ship  was  out  forty-eight  days 


ARRIVAL  AT  PERNAMBUCO 


ei 


from  Norfolk,  Virginia,  and  was  bound  for  Eio, 
where  we  met  again  about  two  months  later.  The 
Spray  was  now  thirty  days  from  Gibraltar. 

The  Spraifs  next  companion  of  the  voyage  was 
a  swordfish,  that  swam  alongside,  showing  its  tall 
fin  out  of  the  water,  till  I  made  a  stir  for  my  har- 
poon, when  it  hauled  its  black  flag  down  and  dis- 
appeared. September  30,  at  half-past  eleven  in  the 
morning,  the  Spray  crossed  the  equator  in  longitude 
29°  30'  W.  At  noon  she  was  two  miles  south  of 
the  line.  The  southeast  trade- winds,  met,  rather 
light,  in  about  4°  N.,  gave  her  sails  now  a  stifl:  full 
sending  her  handsomely  over  the  sea  toward  the 
coast  of  Brazil,  where  on  October  5,  just  north  of 
Olinda  Point,  without  further  incident,  she  made 
the  land,  casting  anchor  in  Pernambuco  harbor 
about  noon:  forty  days  from  Gibraltar,  and  all 
well  on  board.  Did  I  tire  of  the  voyage  in  all 
that  time  1  Not  a  bit  of  it  I  I  was  never  in  better 
trim  in  all  my  life,  and  was  eager  for  the  more 
perilous  experience  of  rounding  the  Horn. 

It  was  not  at  all  strange  in  a  life  common  to 
sailors  that,  having  already  crossed  the  Atlantic 
twice  and  being  now  half-way  from  Boston  to  tlie 
Horn,  I  should  find  myself  still  among  friends.  My 
determination  to  sail  westward  from  Gibraltar  not 
only  enabled  me  to  escape  the  pirates  of  the  Red 
Sea,  but,  in  bringing  me  to  Pernambuco,  landed 
me  on  familiar  shores.  I  had  made  many  voyages 
to  this  and  other  ports  in  Brazil.  In  1893  I  was 
employed  as  master  to  take  the  famous  Ericsson 
ship  Destroyer  from  New  York  to  Brazil  to  go 
against  the  rebel  Mello  and  his  party.    The  De- 


62 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


i 


stroyer,  by  the  way,  carried  a  submarine  cannon  of 
enormous  length. 

In  the  same  expedition  went  the  Nictheroy,  the 
ship  purchased  by  tlie  United  States  govern- 
ment during  the  Spanish  war  and  renamed  the 
Buffalo.  The  Destroyer  was  in  many  ways  the 
better  ship  of  the  two,  but  the  Brazilians  in  their 
curious  war  sank  her  themselves  at  Bahia.  With 
her  sank  my  hope  of  recovering  wages  due  me ; 
still,  1  could  but  try  to  recover,  for  to  me  it  meant 
a  great  deal.  But  now  within  two  years  the  whirli- 
gig of  time  had  brought  the  Mello  party  into  power, 
and  although  it  was  the  legal  government  which 
had  employed  me,  the  so-called  ^'  rebels  "  felt  under 
less  obligation  to  me  than  I  could  have  wished. 

During  these  visits  to  Brazil  I  had  made  the 
acquaintance  of  Dr.  Pei'era,  owner  and  editor  of 
"  El  Commercio  Jornal,"  and  soon  after  the  Spray 
was  safely  moored  in  Upper  Topsail  Reach,  the 
doctor,  who  is  a  very  enthusiastic  yachtsman,  came 
to  pay  me  a  visit  and  to  carry  me  up  the  waterway 
of  the  lagoon  to  his  country  residence.  The  ap- 
proach to  his  mansion  by  the  waterside  was  guarded 
by  his  armada,  a  fleet  of  boats  including  a  Chinese 
sampan,  a  Norwegian  pram,  and  a  Cape  Ann  dory, 
the  last  of  which  he  obtained  from  the  Destroyer. 
The  doctor  dined  me  often  on  good  Brazilian  fare, 
that  I  might,  as  he  said,  **salle  gordo"  for  the 
voyage;  but  he  found  that  even  on  the  best  I 
fattened  slowly. 

Fruits  and  vegetables  and  all  other  provisions 
necessary  for  the  voyage  having  been  taken  in,  on 
the  23d  of  October  I  unmoored  and  made  ready 


[intion  of 

eroy,  the 

govern- 

med  the 

iiiys  the 

i  in  their 

1.    With 

due  me; 

it  meant 

le  whirli- 

.0  power, 

it  which 

}\t  under 

shed. 

ciade  the 

editor  of 

le  Spray 

lach,  the 

an,  came 

waterway 

The  ap- 

guarded 

Chinese 

m  dorv, 

'siroyer. 

an  fare, 

for  the 

I  best  I 

ovisions 
n  in,  on 
e  ready 


A  BILL  AGAINST  THE  BRAZILIAN  GOVERNMENT    G3 

for  sea.  Here  I  enoonntored  one  of  the  unfoi-p^iving 
Mello  faxttion  in  the  j)erson  of  the  collector  of  cus- 
toms, who  charged  the  Sprafi  tonnage  dues  when 
she  clenriM],  notwithstanding  thnt  she  saik^l  with  a 
yacht  license  an<l  should  liav(»  hecn  exempt  from 
port  charges.  Om*  cnnsul  r(Mnind<'(l  tin*  collectin* 
of  this  and  of  tijc  fact — without  much  dit)lonuicy,  I 
thought — tlmt  it  was  I  wlio  In'onght  the  I)estroi/cr 
to  Brazil.  "Oh,  yes,"  snid  the  hland  collector; 
"we  reniend)er  it  very  well,"  for  it  was  now  in  a 
small  wav  his  turn. 

Mr.  Lungrin,  a  merchant,  to  help  me  out  of  the 
trifling  dilFicidty,  offered  to  freight  the  Sprajf  with 
a  cargo  of  guni)Owder  for  Bahia,  which  would  have 
put  me  in  funds;  and  when  the  insurance  com- 
panies refused  to  take  the  risk  on  cargo  shii)ped  on 
a  vessel  manned  by  a  cn^w  of  only  one,  he  offered 
to  ship  it  without  insurance*,  taking  all  the  risk 
himself.  This  was  perha|>s  paying  me  a  greater 
compliment  than  I  deserved.  The  reason  why  I 
did  not  accept  the  business  was  that  in  so  doing  I 
found  that  I  should  vitiate  my  yacht  licensee  and 
run  into  more  expense  for  harl)or  dues  around  the 
world  than  th<^  frcMght  would  amount  to.  Instead 
of  all  this,  another  old  merchant  friend  came  to  my 
assistance,  advancing  the  cash  dii'ect. 

While  at  Pernambucc)  T  shortened  the  ])oom, 
which  had  been  broken  when  off  the  coast  of  Mo- 
rocco, V)y  removing  the  broken  piece,  which  tool<. 
about  four  feet  off  the  iid)oai*d  end  ;  I  also  refitted 
the  jaws.  On  October  24,  1895,  a  fnn^  day  even  as 
dnys  go  in  Brazil,  tli<^  Spray  sailed,  having  had 
al)undant  i^ood  cheer.     Making  libout  one  hundre«l 


64 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WOFLD 


i,r 


It    ' 


>i 


miles  a  day  along  the  coast,  I  arriv  M  at  l?io  de 
Janeiro  November  5,  without  any  e,  at  'v^orfh 
mentiorlug,  and  about  noon  cast  anclio*  iwryc 
'V  illaganon,  to  await  the  official  port  visit.  On  the 
following  day  I  bestirred  myself  to  meet  the  highest 
lord  of  the  admiralty  and  the  ministers,  to  inquire 
concerning  the  matter  of  wages  due  me  from  the 
beloved  Destroyer,  The  high  official  I  met  sai'l: 
"Captain,  so  far  as  we  are  concerned,  you  may 
have  the  ship,  and  if  you  care  to  accept  her  we 
will  send  an  officer  to  show  you  where  she  is."  I 
knew  well  enou^^  where  she  was  at  that  moment. 
The  top  of  her  smoke-stack  being  awash  in  Bahia, 
it  was  more  than  likely  that  she  rested  on  the 
bottom  there.  1  thanked  the  kind  officer,  but  de- 
clined his  offer. 

The  Spray^  with  a  number  of  old  shipmasvors  on 
board,  sailed  about  the  harbor  of  Rio  the  day  be- 
fore she  put  to  sea.  As  ^  ^ad  decided  to  give  the 
Spray  a  yawl  rig  for  the  tempestuous  waters  of 
Patagonia,  I  here  placed  on  the  stern  a  semi;'lroular 
brace  to  support  a  jigger  mii-t.  These  old  captains 
inspected  the  Spray\s  rig-  I/?,  and  each  one  con- 
tributed something  to  her  outfit.  Captain  Jones, 
who  had  acted  as  my  interpreter  at  Rio,  ga\  e  her 
an  anchor,  and  one  of  the  steamers  gave  her  a 
cable  to  match  it.  She  never  dragged  Jones's 
anchor  once  on  the  voyage,  and  the  cable  not  only 
stood  the  strain  on  a  lee  shore,  but  when  towed  off 
Cape  Horn  helped  break  combing  seas  astern  that 
threatened  to  board  her. 


D 


t  mo  de 
ifc  '^^orfa 

On  the 
)  highest 
>  inquire 
rom  the 
et  sai'i: 
ou  may 

her  we 
B  is."    I 
noment. 
1  Bahia, 
on  the 
bTit  de- 
btors on 
day  be- 
ive  the 
ters  ol' 
Ircular 
xptains 
le  con- 
Jones, 
\e  her 

her  a 
Fones's 
>t  only 
red  off 
n  that 


CHAPTER  VI 

Departure  from  Rio  do  Janeiro  —  The  Spray  ashoro  on  the  sands 
of  Uruguay  —  A  narrow  escape  from  shipwreck  —  The  boy  who 
found  a  sloop  —  The  Spray  floated  but  somewhat  daruaged  — 
Courtesies  from  the  British  consul  at  Maldonado  —  A  warm 
greeting  at  Montevideo  —  An  excursion  to  Buenos  Aires  —  Short- 
ening the  mast  and  bowsprit. 

ON  November  28  the  Sprajj  sailed  from  Rio  de 
Janeiro,  and  first  of  all  ran  into  a  gale  of  wind, 
which  tore  up  things  generally  along  the  coast,  doing 
considerable  damage  to  shipping.  It  was  well  for 
her,  perhaps,  that  she  was  clear  of  the  land.  Coasting 
along  on  this  part  of  the  voyage,  I  observed  that 
while  some  of  the  small  vessels  I  fell  in  with  were 
able  to  outsail  the  Spray  by  day,  they  fell  astern  « »f 
her  by  night.  To  the  Spray  day  and  night  wni 
the  same  ;  to  the  others  clearly  there  was  a  dlL.  jr- 
ence.  On  one  of  the  very  fine  days  experionct^  i 
after  leaving  Rio,  the  steamship  SO'  th  Wales  sp('he 
the  Spray  and  unsolicited  gave  the  longitud«j  by 
chronometer  as  48°  W.,  **a8  near  as  I  can  make 
it,"  the  captain  said.  The  Spray ^  with  her  t-\n 
clock,  had  exactly  the  same  reckoning.  I  wan 
feeling  at  ease  in  my  primitive  method  cf  naviga- 
tion, but  it  startled  me  not  a  little  to  find  my  posi- 
tion by  account  verified  by  the  ship's  chronometer. 
On  December  5   \,  barkantine  h  we  in  sight,  and 

t  6S 


66 


SAILING  ALONK  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


; 


k 


ll 


i| 


for  several  days  ihe  two  vessels  sailed  along  the 
coast  together.  ]\*ight  here  a  current  was  experi- 
enced setting  north,  making  it  necessary  to  hug 
the  shore,  with  which  the  Spray  became  rather  fa- 
miliar. Here  I  coulCSs  a  weakness :  I  hugged  the 
shore  entirely  too  close.  In  a  word,  at  daybreak 
on  the  morning  of  December  11  the  Spray  ran  hard 
and  fast  on  the  beach.  This  was  annoying;  but  I 
soon  found  that  the  sloop  was  in  no  great  danger. 
The  false  appearance  of  the  sand-hills  under  a 
bright  moon  had  deceived  me,  and  I  lamented  now 
that  I  had  trusted  to  appeurauces  at  all.  The  sea, 
though  moderately  smooth,  still  carried  a  swell 
which  broke  with  some  force  on  the  shore.  I  man- 
aged to  launch  my  small  dory  from  the  deck,  and 
ran  out  a  kedge-anchor  and  warp ;  but  it  was  too 
late  to  kedge  the  sloop  off,  for  the  tide  was  falling 
and  she  had  already  sewed  a  foot.  Then  I  went 
about  "  laying  out "  the  larger  anchor,  which  was 
no  easy  matter,  for  my  only  life-boat,  the  frail 
dory,  when  the  anchor  and  cable  were  in  it,  was 
swamped  at  once  in  the  surf,  the  load  being  too 
great  for  her.  Then  I  cut  the  cable  and  made  two 
loads  of  it  Instead  of  on(^.  The  anchor,  with  forty 
fathoms  bent  and  already  buoyed,  I  now  took  and 
succeeded  in  getting  through  the  surf;  but  my 
dory  was  leaking  fast,  and  by  the  time  I  had  rowed 
far  enougli  to  drop  the  anchor  she  was  full  to  the 
gun w- lie  .sad  .inking.  There  was  not  a  moirient  to 
spare,  and  i  v^.av  clearly  that  if  I  failed  now  all 
might  bo  lost,  I  sprang  from  the  oars  to  my  feet, 
and  lifting-  the  anchor  above  my  head,  threw  it 
clevir  just  as  she  was  turning  over.    I  grasped  her 


A  NARROW  ESCAPE  FROM  SHIPWRECK 


67 


3ng  the 

experi- 

to  hug 

ther  fa- 

ged  the 

lybreak 

an  hard 

;  but  I 

danger. 

mder  a 

ed  now 

'he  sea, 

1  swell 

I  man- 

ck,  and 

vas  too 

falling 

I  went 

:?h  was 

frail 

t,  was 

ng  too 

ie  two 

1  forty 

)k  and 

it  my 

rowod 

to  the 

ent  to 

">w  all 

y  feet, 

ow  it 

d  her 


e 


gunwale  and  held  on  as  she  turned  bottom  up,  for 
I  suddenly  remembered  that  I  could  not  swim. 
Then  I  tried  to  right  her,  but  with  too  much  eager- 
ness, for  she  rolled  clean  over,  and  loft  mo  as  before, 
cliiiging  to  her  gunwale,  while  my  bod}'  was  still  in 
the  water.  Giving  a  moment  to  cool  reflection,  I 
found  that  although  the  wind  was  blowing  mod- 
erately toward  the  land,  the  current  was  carrying 
me  to  sea,  and  that  something  would  have  to  be 
done.  Three  4\\. 
times  I  had  .  ^\,',. 
been  under  wa-  v4'4^^vA^i>T 
ter,  in  trying  to 
right  the  doiy, 
and  I  was  just 
saying,  "Now  I 
lay  me,"  when 
I    was     seized     •n^^^-rZ.,^^ 

by  a  determina-  .^  suddenly  remembered  that  I  could  not 

tion  to  try  yet 
once  more,  so  that  no  one  of  the  prophets  of 
evil  I  had  left  behind  me  could  say,  "I  told  you 
so."  Whatever  the  danger  may  have  been,  much 
or  little,  I  can  truly  say  that  the  moment  was  the 
most  serene  of  my  life. 

After  righting  the  dory  for  tlie  fourth  time,  I 
finally  succeeded  by  the  utmost  care  in  keeping  her 
upright  while  I  hauled  myself  into  her  and  with 
one  of  the  oars,  which  I  had  recovered,  paddled  to 
the  sliore,  somewhat  the  worse  for  wear  and  pretty 
full  of  salt  water.  The  position  of  my  vessel,  now 
high  and  dry,  gave  me  anxiety.  To  get  her  afloat 
again  was  all  I  thought  of  or  cared  for.    I  had  little 


8Wim.' 


e« 


SAILINa  ALONJ;  AB0X7ND  THE  WORLD 


•i 


15 


difficulty  in  carrying  the  second  part  of  my  cable 
out  and  securing  it  to  the  first,  which  1  had  taken 
the  precaution  to  buoy  before  I  put  it  into  the  boat. 
To  bring  the  end  back  to  the  sloop  was  a  smaller 
matter  still,  and  I  believe  I  chuckled  above  my 
sorrows  when  I  found  that  in  all  the  haphazard 
my  judgment  or  my  good  genius  had  faithfully 
stood  by  me.  The  cable  reached  from  the  anchor 
in  deep  water  to  the  sloop's  windlass  by  just  enough 
to  secure  a  turn  and  do  more.  The  anchor  had 
been  dropped  at  the  right  distance  from  the  vessel. 
To  heave  all  taut  now  and  wait  for  the  coming  tide 
was  all  I  could  do. 

I  had  already  done  enough  work  to  tire  a  stouter 
man,  and  was  only  too  glad  to  throw  myself  on  the 
sand  above  the  tide  and  rest;  for  the  sun  was 
already  up,  and  j)ouring  a  generous  warmth  over 
the  land.  While  my  state  could  have  been  worse, 
I  was  on  the  wild  coast  of  a  foreign  country,  and 
not  entirely  secure  in  my  property,  as  I  soon  found 
out.  I  had  not  been  long  on  the  shore  when  I  heard 
tho  patter,  patter  of  a  horse's  feet  approaching  along 
the  hard  beach,  which  ceased  as  it  came  abreast  of 
the  sand-ridge  where  I  lay  sheltered  from  the 
wind.  Looking  up  cautiously,  I  saw  mounted  on  a 
nag  probably  the  most  astonished  boy  on  the  whole 
coast.  He  had  found  a  sloop  I  '*  It  must  be  mine,'' 
he  thought,  "  for  am  I  not  the  first  to  see  it  on  the 
befi,ch  f "  Sure  enough,  there  it  was  all  high  and 
dry  and  painted  white.  He  trotted  his  horse 
around  it,  and  finding  no  owner,  hitched  the  nag 
to  the  sloop's  bobstay  and  hauled  as  though  he 
would  take  her  home ;  but  of  course  she  was  too 


THE  BOY  WHO  FOUND  A  SLOOP 


60 


heavy  for  one  horse  to  move.  With  my  skiff,  how- 
ever, it  was  different ;  this  he  hauled  some  distance, 
and  concealed  behind  a  dime  in  a  bunch  of  tall 
gi*ass.  He  had  made  up  his  mind,  I  dare  say,  to 
bring  more  horses  and  drag  his  bigger  prize  away, 
anyhow,  and  was  starting  off  for  the  settlement  a 
mile  or  so  away  for  the  reinforcement  when  I 
discovered  myself  to  him,  at  which  he  seemed 
displeased  and  disappointed.  "  Buenos  dias,  mu- 
chacho,"  I  said.  He  grunted  a  reply,  and  eyed  me 
keenly  from  head  to  foot.  Then  bursting  into  a  vol- 
ley of  questions, —  more  than  six  Yankees  could  ask, 
— he  wanted  to  know,  first ,  where  my  ship  was  from, 
and  how  many  days  she  had  been  coming.  Then 
he  asked  what  I  was  doing  here  ashore  so  early  in 
the  morning.  "  Your  questions  are  easily  answered," 
I  replied ;  "  my  ship  is  from  the  moon,  it  has  taken 
her  a  month  to  come,  and  she  is  here  for  a  cargo  of 
boys."  But  the  intimation  of  this  enterprise,  had 
I  not  been  oa  the  alert,  might  have  cost  me  dearly; 
for  while  I  spoke  this  child  of  the  campo  coiled  his 
lariat  ready  to  throw,  and  instead  of  being  himself 
carried  to  the  moon,  he  was  apparently  thinking 
of  towing  me  home  by  the  neck,  astern  of  his  wild 
cayuse,  over  the  fields  of  Uruguay. 

The  exact  spot  where  I  was  stranded  was  at  the 
Castillo  Chicos,  about  seven  miles  south  of  the 
dividing-line  of  Uruguay  and  Brazil,  and  of  course 
the  natives  there  speak  Spaniijh.  To  reconcile  ny 
early  visitor,  I  told  him  that  I  had  on  my  ship 
biscuits,  and  that  I  wished  to  trade  them  for  butter 
and  milk.  On  hearing  this  a  broad  grin  lighted  up 
his  face,  and  showed  that  he  was  greatly  interested, 


THE   "SPRAY"  FLOATED 


71 


•s 


00 

o 

O 


and  that  even  in  Uruguay  a  ship's  biscuit  will  cheer 
the  heart  of  a  boy  and  make  him  your  bosom  friend. 
The  lad  almost  flew  home,  and  returned  quickly 
with  butter,  milk,  and  eggs.  I  was,  after  all,  in  a 
land  of  plenty.  With  the  boy  came  others,  old  and 
young,  from  neighboring  ranches,  among  them  a 
Gorman  settler,  who  was  of  great  assistance  to  me 
i.i  many  ways. 

A  coast-guard  from  Fort  Teresa,  a  few  miles 
nway,  also  came,  "to  protect  your  property  from 
the  natives  of  the  plains,"  he  said.  I  took  occasion 
to  tell  him,  however,  that  if  he  would  look  after 
the  people  of  his  own  village,  I  would  take  care  of 
those  from  the  plains,  pointing,  as  I  spoke,  to  the 
nondescript  "merchant  who  had  already  stolen 
my  revolver  and  several  small  articles  from  my 
cabin,  which  by  a  bold  front  I  had  recovered.  The 
chap  was  not  a  native  Uruguayan.  Here,  as  in 
many  other  places  that  I  visited,  the  natives 
themselves  were  not  the  ones  discreditable  to  the 
country. 

Early  in  the  day  a  despatch  came  from  the  port 
captain  of  Montevideo,  commanding  the  coast- 
guards to  render  the  Spray  every  assistance.  This, 
however,  was  not  necessary,  for  a  guard  was  already 
on  the  alert,  and  making  all  the  ado  tliat  would  be- 
come the  wreck  of  a  steamer  with  a  thousand  emi- 
grants aboard.  The  same  messenger  brought  word 
from  the  port  captain  that  he  would  despatch  a 
steam-tug  to  tow  the  Spray  to  Montevideo.  The  offi- 
cer was  as  good  as  his  word ;  a  powerful  tug  arrived 
on  the  following  day;  but,  to  make  a  long  story 
short,  with  the  help  of  the  German  and  one  soldier 


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72 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


and  one  Italian,  called  "Angel  of  Milan,"  I  had 
already  floated  the  sloop  and  was  sailing  for  port 
with  the  boom  off  before  a  fair  wind.  The  adven- 
ture cost  the  Spray  no  small  amount  of  pounding 
on  the  hard  sand;  she  lost  her  shoe  and  part  of 
her  false  keel,  and  received  other  damage,  which, 
however,  was  readily  mended  afterward  in  dock. 

On  the  following  day  I  anchored  at  Maldonado. 
The  British  consul,  his  daughter,  and  another 
young  lady  came  on  board,  bringing  with  them  a 
basket  of  fresh  eggs,  strawberries,  bottles  of  milk, 
and  a  great  loaf  of  sweet  bread.  This  was  a  good 
landfall,  and  better  cheer  than  I  had  found  at  Mal- 
donado once  upon  a  time  when  I  entered  the  port 
with  a  stricken  crew  in  my  bark,  the  Aquidneck. 

In  the  waters  of  Maldonado  Bay  a  variety  of 
fishes  abound,  and  fur-seals  in  their  season  haul 
out  on  the  island  abreast  the  bay  to  breed.  Cur- 
rents on  this  coast  are  greatly  affected  by  the  pre- 
vailing winds,  and  a  tidal  wave  higher  than  that 
ordinarily  produced  by  the  moon  is  sent  up  the 
whole  shore  of  Uruguay  before  a  southwest  gale, 
or  lowered  by  a  northeaster,  as  may  happen.  One 
of  these  waves  having  just  receded  before  the 
northeast  wind  which  brought  the  Spray  in  left 
the  tide  now  at  low  ebb,  with  oyster-rocks  laid 
bare  for  some  distance  along  the  shore.  Other 
shellfish  of  good  flavor  were  also  plentiful,  though 
small  in  size.  I  gathered  a  mess  of  oysters  and 
mussels  here,  while  a  native  with  hook  and  line, 
and  with  mussels  for  bait,  fished  from  a  point  of 
detached  rocks  for  bream,  li-nding  several  good- 
sized  ones. 


A  WARM  GREETING  AT  MONTEVIDEO 


73 


I  had 
or  port 
adven- 
unding 
part  of 
which, 
iock. 
ionado. 
mother 
them  a 
f  milk, 
a  good 
it  Mal- 
le  port 
leck. 
iety  of 
n  haul 

Cur- 
ie pre- 
n  that 
ap  the 
t  gale. 
One 
re  the 
in  left 
cs  laid 
Other 
hough 
rs  and 
i  line, 
dnt  of 
good- 


The  fisherman's  nephew,  a  lad  about  seven  years 
old,  deserves  mention  as  the  tallest  blasphemer, 
for  a  short  boy,  that  I  met  on  the  voyage.  He 
called  his  old  uncle  all  the  vile  names  under  the 
sun  for  not  helping  him  across  the  gully.  While 
he  swore  roundly  in  all  the  moods  and  tenses  of 
the  Spanish  language,  his  uncle  fished  on,  now  and 
then  congratulating  his  hopeful  nephew  on  his 
accomplishment.  At  the  end  of  his  rich  vocabu- 
lary the  urchin  sauntered  oif  into  the  fields,  and 
shortly  returned  with  a  bunch  of  flowers,  and  with 
all  smiles  handed  them  to  me  with  the  innocence 
of  an  angel.  I  remembered  having  seen  the  same 
flower  on  the  banks  of  the  river  farther  up,  some 
years  before.  I  asked  the  young  pirate  why  he 
had  brought  them  to  me.  Said  he,  "  I  don't  know ; 
I  only  wished  to  do  so.?*  Whatever  the  influence 
was  that  put  so  amiable  a  wish  in  this  wild  pampa 
boy,  it  must  be  far-reaching,  thought  I,  and  potent, 
seas  over. 

Shortly  after,  the  Spray  sailed  for  Montevideo, 
where  she  arrived  on  the  following  day  and  was 
greeted  by  steam-whistles  till  I  felt  embarrassed 
and  wished  that  I  had  arrived  unobserved.  The 
voyage  so  far  alone  may  have  seemed  to  the  Uru- 
guayans a  feat  worthy  of  some  recognition;  but 
there  was  so  much  of  it  yet  ahead,  and  of  such  an 
arduous  nature,  that  any  demonstration  at  this 
point  seemed,  somehow,  like  boasting  prematurely. 

The  Spray  had  barely  come  to  anchor  at  Monte- 
video when  the  agents  of  the  Royal  Mail  Steam- 
ship Company,  Messrs.  Humphreys  &  Co.,  sent 
word  that  they  would  dock  and  repair  her  free  of 


H 


|!(| 


74 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


I  '<  i 


expense  and  give  me  twenty  pounds  sterling, 
which  they  did  to  the  letter,  and  more  besides. 
The  ealkers  at  Montevideo  paid  very  careful  atten- 
tion to  the  work  of  making  the  sloop  tight.  Car- 
penters mended  the  keel  and  also  the  life-boat  (the 
dory),  painting  it  till  1  hardly  knew  it  from  a 
butterfly. 

Christmas  of  1895  found  the  Spray  refitted  even 
to  a  wonderful  makeshift  stove  which  was  contrived 
from  a  large  iron  drum  of  some  sort  punched  full 
of  holes  to  give  it  a  draft ;  the  pipe  reached  straight 
up  through  the  top  of  the  forecastle.  Now,  this  was 
not  a  stove  by  mere  courtesy.  It  was  always  hun- 
gry, even  for  green  wood ;  and  in  cold,  wet  days  ofl! 
the  coast  of  Tierra  del  Fuego  it  stood  me  in  good 
stead.  Its  one  door  swung  on  copper  hinges,  which 
one  of  the  yard  apprentices,  with  laudable  pride, 
polished  till  the  whole  thing  blushed  like  the  brass 
binnacle  of  a  P.  &  0.  steamer. 

The  Spray  was  now  ready  for  sea.  Instead  of 
proceeding  at  once  on  her  voyage,  however,  she 
made  an  excursion  up  the  river,  sailing  December 
29.  An  old  friend  of  mine,  Captain  Howard  of 
Cape  Cod  and  of  River  Plate  fame,  took  the  trip  in 
her  to  Buenos  Aires,  where  she  arrived  early  on 
the  following  day,  with  a  gt^^Q  of  wind  and  a  cur- 
rent so  much  in  her  favor  that  she  outdid  herself. 
I  was  glad  to  have  a  sailor  of  Howard's  experience 
on  board  to  witness  her  performance  of  sailing 
with  no  living  being  at  the  helm.  Howard  sat 
near  the  binnacle  and  watched  the  compass  while 
the  sloop  held  her  course  so  steadily  that  one 
would  have  declared  that  the  card  was  nailed  fast. 


erling, 
esides. 
atten- 
Car- 
at  (the 
rom  a 


even 


i 

Llrived 
ed  full 
raight 
lis  was 
s  hun- 
ays  off 
1  good 
which 
pride, 
brass 

ad  of 
r,  she 
ember 
ird  of 
rip  in 
'ly  on 
a  cur- 
erself. 
'ience 
ailing 
d  sat 
while 
one 
fast. 


AN  EXCURSION  TO  BUENOS  AIRES 


75 


Not  a  quarter  of  a  point  did  she  deviate  from  her 
course.  My  old  friend  had  owned  and  sailed  a 
pilot-sloop  on  the  river  for  many  years,  but  this 
feat  took  the  wind  out  of  his  sails  at  last,  and  he 
cried,  "  I  '11  be  stranded  on  Chico  Bank  if  ever  I 
saw  the  like  of  it !  ^  Perhaps  he  had  never  given 
his  sloop  a  chance  to  show  what  she  could  do. 
The  point  I  make  for  the  Spray  here,  above  all 
other  points,  is  that  she  sailed  in  shoal  water  and 
in  a  strong  current,  with  other  difficult  and  un- 
usual conditions.  Captain  Howard  took  all  this 
into  account. 

In  all  the  years  away  from  his  native  home 
Howard  had  not  forgotten  the  art  of  making  fish 
chowders ;  and  to  prove  this  he  brought  along  some 
fine  rockfish  and  prepared  a  mess  fit  for  kings. 
When  the  savory  chowder  was  done,  chocking 
the  pot  securely  between  two  boxes  on  the  cabin 
floor,  so  that  it  could  not  roll  over,  we  helped  our- 
selves and  swapped  yarns  over  it  while  the  Spray 
made  her  own  way  through  the  darkness  on  the 
river.  Howard  told  me  stories  about  the  Fuegian 
cannibals  as  she  reeled  along,  and  I  told  him  about 
the  pilot  of  the  Pinta  steering  my  vessel  through 
the  storm  off  the  coast  of  the  Azores,  and  that  I 
looked  for  him  at  the  helm  in  a  gale  such  as  this. 
I  do  not  charge  Howard  with  superstition, —  we 
are  none  of  us  superstitious, —  but  when  I  spoke 
about  his  returning  to  Montevideo  on  the  Spray  he 
shook  his  head  and  took  a  steam-packet  instead. 

I  had  not  been  in  Buenos  Aires  for  a  number  of 
years.  The  place  where  I  had  once  landed  from 
packets,  in  a  cart,  was  now  built  up  with  magnifi- 


i-*a 


76 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WOELD 


i 


( 


cent  docks.  Vast  fortunes  had  been  spent  in  re- 
modeling the  harbor;  London  bankers  could  tell  you 
that.  The  port  captain,  after  assigning  the  S]^ay 
a  safe  berth,  with  his  compliments,  sent  me  word 
to  call  on  him  for  anything  I  might  want  while  in 
port,  and  I  felt  quite  sure  that  his  friendship  was 
sincere.  The  sloop  was  well  cared  for  at  Buenos 
Aires ;  her  dockage  and  tonnage  dues  were  all  free, 
and  the  yachting  fraternity  of  the  city  welcomed 
her  with  a  good  will.  In  town  I  found  things  not 
so  greatly  changed  as  about  the  docks,  and  I  soon 
felt  myself  more  at  home. 

From  Montevideo  I  had  forwarded  a  letter  from 
Sir  Edward  Hairby  to  the  owner  of  the  "  standard,'' 
Mr.  Mulhall,  and  in  reply  to  it  was  assured  of  a 
warm  welcome  to  the  warmest  heart,  I  think,  out- 
side of  Ireland.  Mr.  Mulhall,  with  a  prancing 
team,  came  down  to  the  docks  as  soon  as  the 
Spray  was  berthed,  and  would  have  me  go  to  his 
house  at  once,  where  a  room  was  waiting.  And 
it  was  New  Year's  day,  1896.  The  course  of  the 
Spray  had  been  followed  in  the  columns  of  the 
"  Standard.'' 

Mr.  Mulhall  kindly  drove  me  to  see  many  im- 
provements about  the  city,  and  wc  went  in  search 
of  some  of  the  old  landmarks.  The  man  who  sold 
"  lemonade "  on  the  plaza  when  first  I  visited  this 
wonderful  city  I  found  selling  lemonade  still  at 
two  cents  a  glass;  he  had  made  a  fortune  by  it. 
His  stock  in  trade  was  a  wash-tub  and  a  neighbor- 
ing hydrant,  a  moderate  supply  of  brown  sugar, 
and  about  six  lemons  that  floated  on  the  sweetened 
water.    The  water  from  time  to  time  was  renewed 


AN  EXCURSION  TO  BEUNOS  AIR^S 


77 


b  in  re- 
tell you 
)  Spray 
e  word 
hile  in 
ip  was 
Bnenos 
ill  free, 
loomed 
igs  not 
I  soon 

ir  from 
idard,** 
d  of  a 
k,  out- 
ancing 
a^s  the 
to  his 
And 
of  the 
of  the 

y  im- 
search 
sold 
d  this 
till  at 
by  it. 
:hbor- 
sugar, 
tened 
lewod 


from  the  friendly  pump,  but  the  lemon  "  went  on 
forever,"  and  all  at  two  cents  a  glass. 

But  we  looked  in  vain  for  the  man  who  once  sold 
whisky  and  coffins  in  Buenos  Aires ;  the  march  of 
civilization  had  crushed  him  —  memory  only  clung 
to  his  name.   Enterprising  man  that  he  was,  I  fain 


At  the  sign  of  the  comet. 

would  have  looked  him  up.  I  remember  the  tiers 
of  whisky-barrels,  ranged  on  end,  on  one  side  of 
the  store,  while  on  the  other  side,  and  divided  by 
a  thin  partition,  were  the  coffins  in  the  same  order, 
of  all  sizes  and  in  great  numbers.  The  unique  ar- 
rangement seemed  in  order,  for  as  a  cask  was 
emptied  a  coffin  might  be  filled.  Besides  cheap 
whisky  and  many  other  liquors,  he  sold  "cider,** 
which  he  manufactured  from   damaged  Malaga 


* 


78 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


raisins.  Within  the  scope  of  his  enterprise  was 
also  the  sale  of  mineral  waters,  not  entirely  blame- 
less of  the  germs  of  disease.  This  man  surely  ca- 
tered to  all  the  tastes,  wants,  and  conditions  of 
his  customers. 

Farther  along  in  the  city,  however,  survived  the 
good  man  who  wrote  on  the  side  of  his  store,  where 
thoughtful  men  might  read  and  learn:  "This 
wicked  world  will  be  destroyed  by  a  comet !  The 
owner  of  this  store  is  therefore  bound  to  sell  out 
at  any  price  and  avoid  the  catastrophe."  My  friend 
Mr.  Mulhall  drove  me  round  to  view  the  fearful 
comet  with  streaming  tail  pictured  large  on  the 
trembling  merchant's  walls. 

I  unshipped  the  sloop's  mast  at  Buenos  Aires 
and  shortened  it  by  seven  feet.  I  reduced  the 
length  of  the  bowsprit  by  about  five  feet,  and  even 
then  I  found  it  reaching  far  enough  from  home; 
and  more  than  once,  when  on  the  end  of  it  reefing 
the  jib,  I  regretted  that  I  liad  not  shortened  it 
another  foot. 


se  was 
blame- 
rely  ca- 
.ons  of 


ved  the 
,  where 
"  This 
!  The 
sell  out 
r  friend 
fearful 
on  the 

I  Aires 
!ed  the 
id  even 
home; 
reefing 
med  it 


CHAPTER  Vn 

Weighing  anchor  at  Buenos  Aires — An  outburst  of  emotion  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Plate  —  Submerged  by  a  great  wave  —  A  stormy 
entrance  to  the  strait — Captain  S^mblich's  happy  g^ft  of  a  bag 
of  carpet-tacks  —  Off  Cape  Frowavd  —  Chased  by  Indians  from 
Fortescuo  Bay — A  miss-bhot  for  "Black  Pedro"  —  Taking  in 
supplies  of  wood  and  water  at  Three  Island  Cove  —  Animal  life. 

ON  January  26,  1896,  the  Spray,  being  refitted 
and  well  provisioned  in  every  way,  sailed  from 
Buenos  Aires.  There  was  little  wind  at  the  start ; 
the  surface  of  the  great  river  was  like  a  silver  disk, 
and  I  was  glad  of  a  tow  from  a  harbor  tug  to  clear 
the  port  entrance.  But  a  gale  came  up  soon  after, 
and  caused  an  ugly  sea,  and  instead  of  being  all 
silver,  as  before,  the  river  was  now  all  mud.  The 
Plate  is  a  treacherous  place  for  storms.  One  sail- 
ing there  should  always  be  on  the  alert  for  squalls. 
I  cast  anchor  before  dark  in  the  best  lee  I  could  find 
near  the  land,  but  was  tossed  miserably  all  night, 
heartsore  of  choppy  seas.  On  the  following  morn- 
ing I  got  the  sloop  under  way,  and  with  reefed  sails 
worked  her  down  the  river  against  a  head  wind. 
Standing  in  that  night  to  the  place  where  pilot 
Howard  jcmed  me  for  the  up-river  sail,  I  took  a 
departure,  shaping  my  course  to  clear  Point  Indio 
on  the  one  hand,  and  the  English  Bank  on  the 
other. 


SUBMERGED  BY  A  GREAT  WAVE 


81 


•a- 

o 

o 

-M 

08 

I 


I  had  not  for  many  years  been  south  of  these 
regions.  I  will  not  say  that  I  expected  lU  fine 
sailing  on  the  course  for  Cape  Horn  direct,  but 
while  I  worked  at  the  sails  and  rigging  I  thought 
only  of  onward  and  forward.  It  was  when  I  an- 
chored in  the  lonely  places  that  a  feeling  of  awe 
crept  over  me.  At  the  last  anchorage  on  the  mo- 
notonous and  muddy  river,  weak  as  it  may  seem, 
I  gave  way  to  my  feelings.  I  resolved  then  that  I 
would  anchor  no  more  north  of  the  Strait  of  Ma- 
gellan. 

On  the  28th  of  January  the  Spray  was  clear  of 
Point  Indio,  Euglish  Bank,  and  all  the  other  dan- 
gers of  the  Eiver  Plate.  With  a  fair  wind  she 
then  bore  away  for  the  Strait  of  Magellan,  under 
all  sail,  pressing  farther  and  farther  toward  the 
wonderland  of  the  South,  till  I  forgot  the  blessings 
of  our  milder  North. 

My  ship  passed  in  safety  Bahia  Blanca,  also  the 
Gulf  of  St.  Matias  and  the  mighty  Grulf  of  St. 
George.  Hoping  that  she  might  go  clear  of  the 
destructive  tide-races,  the  dread  of  big  craft  or 
little  along  this  coast,  I  gave  all  the  capes  a  berth 
of  about  fifty  miles,  for  these  dangers  extend  many 
miles  from  the  land.  But  where  the  sloop  avoided 
one  danger  she  encountered  another.  For,  one 
day,  well  off  the  Patagonian  coast,  while  the  sloop 
was  reaching  under  short  sail,  a  tremendous  wave, 
the  culmination,  it  s'^emed,  of  many  waves,  rolled 
down  upon  her  in  a  storm,  roaring  as  it  came.  I 
had  only  a  moment  to  get  all  sail  down  and  myself 
up  on  the  peak  halliards,  out  of  danger,  when  I 
saw  the  mighty  crest  towering  masthead-high  above 


82 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


me.  The  mountain  of  water  submerged  my  vessel 
She  shook  in  every  timber  and  reeled  under  the 
weight  of  the  sea,  but  rose  quickly  out  of  it,  and 
rode  grandly  over  the  rollers  that  followed.  It 
may  have  been  a  minute  that  from  my  hold  in  the 
rigging  I  could  see  no  part  of  the  Spray^s  hull. 
Perhaps  it  was  even  less  time  than  that,  but  it 
seemed  a  long  while,  for  under  great  excitement 
one  lives  fast,  and  in  a  few  seconds  one  may  think 
a  great  deal  of  one's  past  life.  Not  only  did  the 
past,  with  electric  speed,  flash  before  me,  but  I  had 
time  while  in  my  hazardous  position  for  resolu- 
tions for  the  future  that  would  take  a  long  time  to 
fulfil.  The  first  one  was,  I  remember,  that  if  the 
Spray  came  through  this  danger  I  would  dedi- 
cate my  best  energies  to  building  a  larger  ship  on 
her  lines,  which  I  hope  yet  to  do.  Other  promises, 
less  easily  kept,  I  should  have  made  under  protest. 
However,  the  incident,  which  filled  me  with  fear, 
was  only  one  more  test  of  the  Spray^s  seaworthi- 
ness.   It  reassured  me  against  rude  Cape  Horn. 

From  the  time  the  great  wave  swept  over  the 
Spray  until  she  reached  Cape  Virgins  nothing  oc- 
curred to  move  a  pulse  and  set  blood  in  motion. 
On  the  contrary,  the  weather  became  fine  and  the 
sea  smooth  and  life  tranquil.  The  phenomenon  of 
mirage  frequently  occurred.  An  albatross  sitting 
on  the  water  one  day  loomed  up  like  a  large  ship ; 
two  fur-seals  asleep  on  the  surface  of  the  sea  ap- 
peared like  great  whales,  and  a  bank  of  haze  I 
could  have  sworn  was  high  land.  The  kaleido- 
scope then  changed,  and  on  the  following  day  I 
sailed  in  a  world  peopled  by  dwarfs. 


s 


i 


: 


A  STORMY  ENTRANCE  TO  THE  STRAIT 


88 


vessel 
ler  the 
it,  and 
ed.  It 
[  in  the 
'5  hull, 
but  it 
tement 
J  think 
lid  the 
tlhad 
resolu- 
time  to 

if  the 
I  dedi- 
}hip  on 
omises, 
)rotest. 
h  fear, 
jvorthi- 
jrn. 
""er  the 
ing  oc- 
aotion. 
nd  the 
non  of 
sitting 

ship; 
;ea  ap- 
laze  I 
aleido- 

day  I 


, 


On  February  11  the  S'pray  rounded  Cape  Virgins 
and  entered  the  Strait  of  Magellan.  The  i^  ene 
was  again  real  and  gloomy ;  the  wind,  northeast, 
and  blowing  a  gale,  sent  feather- white  spume  along 
the  coast ;  such  a  sea  ran  as  would  swamp  an  ill- 
appointed  ship.    As  the  sloop  neared  the  entrance 


Entrance  to  the  Strait  of  Magellan. 

to  the  strait  I  observed  that  two  great  tide-races 
made  ahead,  one  very  close  to  the  point  of  the  land 
and  one  farther  offshore.  Between  the  two,  in  a 
sort  of  channel,  through  combers,  went  the  Spray 
with  close-reefed  sails.  But  a  rolling  sea  followed 
her  a  long  way  in,  and  a  fierce  current  swept 
around  the  cape  against  her ;  but  this  she  stemmed, 
and  was  soon  chirruping  under  the  lee  of  Cape 
Virgins  and  running  every  minute  into  smoother 
water.  However,  long  trailing  kelp  from  sunken 
rocks  waved  forebodingly  under  her  keel,  and  the 
wreck  of  a  great  steamship  smashed  on  the  beach 
abreast  gave  a  gloomy  aspect  to  the  scene. 

I  was  not  to  be  let  off  easy.  The  Virgins  would 
collect  tribute  even  from  the  Spray  passing  their 
promontory.  Fitful  rain-squalls  from  the  north- 
west followed  the  northeast  gale.    I  reefed  the 


84 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


sloop's  sails,  and  sitting  in  the  cabin  to  rest  my 
eyes,  I  was  so  strongly  impressed  with  what  in  all 
nature  I  might  expect  that  as  I  dozed  the  very  air 
I  breathed  seemed  to  warn  me  of  danger.  My 
senses  heard  "  Spray  ahoy ! "  shouted  in  warning. 
I  sprang  to  the  deck,  wondering  who  could  be 
there  that  knew  the  Spray  so  well  as  to  call  out  her 
name  passing  in  the  dark;  for  it  was  now  the 
blackest  of  nights  all  around,  except  away  in 
the  southwest,  where  the  old  familiar  white  arch, 
the  terror  of  Cape  Horn,  rapidly  pushed  up  by 
a  southw<=,3t  gale.  I  had  only  a  moment  to  douse 
sail  and  lash  all  solid  when  it  struck  like  a  shot 
from  a  cannon,  and  for  the  first  half -hour  it  was 
something  to  bo  remembered  by  way  of  a  gale. 
For  thirty  hours  it  kept  on  blowing  hard.  The 
sloop  could  carry  no  more  than  a  three-reefed  main- 
sail and  f orestaysail ;  with  these  she  held  on  stoutly 
and  was  not  blown  out  of  the  strait.  In  the  height 
of  the  squalls  in  this  gale  she  doused  all  sail,  and 
this  occurred  often  enough. 

After  thifc,  gale  followed  only  a  smart  breeze,  and 
the  Spray ^  passing  through  the  narrows  without 
mishap,  cast  anchor  at  Sandy  Point  on  February 
14,  1896. 

Siindy  Point  (Punta  Arenas)  is  a  Chilean  coal- 
ing-station, and  boasts  about  two  thousand  inhabi- 
tants, of  mixed  nationality,  but  mostly  Chileans. 
What  with  sheep-farming,  gold-mining,  and  hunt- 
ing, the  settlers  in  this  dreary  land  seemed  not  the 
worst  off  in  the  world.  But  the  natives,  Patagonian 
and  Fuegian,  on  the  other  hand,  were  as  squalid 
as  contact  with  unscrupulous  traders  could  make 


3st  my 
;  in  all 
ery  air 
r.  My 
irning. 
lid  be 
►ut  her 
iw  the 
ray  in 
)  arch, 
up  by 
douse 
a  shot 
it  was 
I  gale. 
The 
main- 
toutly 
leight 
I,  and 

e,  and 
thout 
ruary 

coal- 
habi- 
eans. 
hunt- 
)t  the 
onian 
ualid 
make 


o 

o 


o 

o 

l-t» 

o 

i 

o 

I 

P 


S    M* 


ftuiiBmamiimmmm 


86 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


them.  A  large  percentage  of  the  business  there 
was  traffic  in  "  fire-water.'*  If  there  was  a  law 
against  selling  the  poisonous  stuff  to  the  natives, 
it  was  not  enforced.  Fine  specimens  of  the  Pata- 
gonian  race,  looking  smart  in  the  morning  when 
they  came  into  town,  had  repented  before  night  of 
ever  having  seen  a  white  man,  so  beastly  drunk 
were  they,  to  say  nothing  about  the  peltry  of  which 
they  had  been  robbed. 

The  port  at  that  time  was  free,  but  a  custom- 
house was  in  course  of  construction,  and  when  it 
is  finished,  port  and  tariff  dues  are  to  be  collected. 
A  soldier  police  guarded  the  place,  and  a  sort  of 
vigilante  force  besides  took  down  its  guns  now 
and  then ;  but  ao  a  general  thing,  to  my  mind, 
whenever  an  execution  was  made  they  killed  the 
wrong  man.  Just  previous  to  my  arrival  the  gov- 
ernor, himself  of  a  jovial  turn  of  mind,  had  sent  a 
party  of  young  bloods  to  foray  a  Fuegian  settle- 
ment and  wipe  out  what  they  could  of  it  on  ac- 
count of  the  recent  massacre  of  a  schooner's  crew 
somewhere  else.  Altogether  the  place  was  quite 
newsy  and  supported  two  papers  —  dailies,  I  think. 
The  port  captain,  a  Chilean  naval  officer,  advised 
me  to  ship  hands  to  fight  Indians  in  the  strait 
farther  west,  and  spoke  of  my  stopping  until  a 
gunboat  should  be  going  through,  which  would 
give  me  a  tow.  After  canvassing  the  place,  how- 
ever, I  found  only  one  man  willing  to  embark,  and 
he  on  condition  that  I  should  ship  another  "  mon 
and  a  doog."  But  as  no  one  else  was  willing  to 
come  along,  and  as  I  drew  the  line  at  dogs,  I  said 
no  more  about  the  matter,  but  simply  loaded  my 


A  GIFT  OP  A  BAG  OF  CARPET-TACKS 


87 


ac- 


guns.  At  this  point  in  my  dilemma  Captain  Pedro 
Samblich,  a  good  Austrian  of  large  experience, 
coming  along,  gave  me  a  bag  of  carpet-tacks,  worth 
more  than  all  the  fighting  men  and  dogs  of  Tierra 
del  Fuego.  I  protested  that  I  had  no  use  for  car- 
pet-tacks on  board.  Sam- 
blich smiled  at  my  want 
of  experience,  and  main- 
tained stoutly  that  I  would 
have  use  for  them.  "  You 
must  use  them  with  dis- 
cretion,'' he  said;  "that  is 
to  say,  don't  step  on  them 
yourself."  With  this  re- 
mote hint  about  the  use  of 
the  tacks  I  got  on  all  right, 
and  saw  the  way  to  main- 
tain clear  decks  at  night 
without  the  care  of  watch- 
ing. 

Samblich  was  greatly  in- 
terested in  my  voyage,  and 
after  giving  me  the  tacks 
he  put  on  board  bags  of 
biscuits  and  a  large  quan- 
tity of  smoked  venison. 
He  declared  that  my  bread,    The  man  who  would  n't  ship 

1  .  -,  1 .  without  another  "  mon 

which   was   ordinary   sea-  andadoog." 

biscuits  and  easily  broken, 

was  not  nutritious  as  his,  which  was  so  hard  that  I 
could  break  it  only  with  a  stout  blow  from  a  maul. 
Then  he  gave  me,  from  his  own  asloop,  a  compass 
which  was  certainly  better  than  mine,  and  offered  to 


-<^ 


88 


SAILING  ALONE  ABOUND  THE  WOBLD 


nil 


unbend  her  mainsail  for  me  if  I  would  accept  it. 
Last  of  all,  this  large-hearted  man  brought  out  a 
bottle  of  Fuegian  gold-dust  from  a  place  where  it 
had  been  cached  and  begged  me  to  help  myself 
from  it,  for  use  farther  along  on  the  voyage.    But 

I  felt  sure  of  success  without 
this  draft  on  a  friend,  and  I 
was  right.  Samblich's  tacks, 
as  it  turned  out,  were  of  more 
value  than  gold. 

The  port  captain  finding 
that  I  was  resolved  to  go,  even 
alone,  since  there  was  no  help 
for  it,  set  up  no  further  objec- 
tions, but  advised  me,  in  case 
the  savages  tried  to  surround 
me  with  their  canoes,  to  shoot 
straight,  and  begin  to  do  it  in 
time,  but  to  avoid  killing  them 
if  possible,  which  I  heartily 
agreed  to  do.  With  these 
simple  injunctions  the  officer 
gave  me  my  port  clearance  free 
of  charge,  and  I  sailed  on  the 
same  day,  February  19,  1896.  It  was  not  without 
thoughts  of  strange  and  stirring  adventure  beyond 
all  I  had  yet  encountered  that  I  now  sailed  into  the 
country  and  very  core  of  the  savage  Fuegians. 

A  fair  wind  from  Sandy  Point  brought  me  on 
the  first  day  to  St.  Nicholas  Bay,  where,  so  I  was 
told,  I  might  expect  to  meet  savages ;  but  seeing 
no  signs  of  life,  I  came  to  anchor  in  eight  fathoms 
of  water,  where  I  lay  all  night  under  a  high  moun- 


A  Fuegian  Girl. 


OFF  CAPE  FROWABD 


89 


ept  it. 
i  out  a 
iiere  it 
myself 
.  But 
ithout 
and  I 
tacks, 
I  more 

inding 
3,  even 
o  help 
objec- 
n  case 
:round 
»  shoot 

0  it  in 
rthem 

artily 
these 
officer 
e  free 
)n  the 
thout 
eyond 
to  the 
s. 
ne  on 

1  was 
jeeing 
:homs 
loun- 


tain.  Here  I  had  my  first  experience  with  the 
terrific  squalls,  called  williwaws,  which  extended 
from  this  point  on  through  the  strait  to  the 
Pacific.  They  were  compressed  gales  of  wind  that 
Boreas  handed  down  over  the  hills  in  chunks.  A 
full-blown  williwaw  will  throw  a  ship,  even  with- 
out sail  on,  over  on  her  beam  ends ;  but,  like  other 
gales,  they  cease  now  and  then,  if  only  for  a  short 
time. 

February  20  was  my  birthday,  and  I  found  my- 
self alone,  with  hardly  so  much  as  a  bird  in  sight, 
off  Cape  Froward,  the  southernmost  point  of  the 
continent  of  America.  By  daylight  in  the  morning 
I  was  getting  my  ship  under  way  for  the  bout 
ahead. 

The  sloop  held  the  wind  fair  while  she  ran 
thirty  miles  farther  on  her  course,  which  brought 
her  to  Fortescue  Bay,  and  at  once  among  the 
natives'  signal-fires,  which  blazed  up  now  on  all 
sides.  Clouds  flew  over  the  mountain  from  the 
west  all  day ;  at  night  my  good  east  wind  failed, 
and  in  its  stead  a  gale  from  the  west  soon  came  on. 
I  gained  anchorage  at  twelve  o'clock  that  night, 
under  the  lee  of  a  little  island,  and  then  prepared 
myself  a  cup  of  coffee,  of  which  I  was  sorely  in 
need;  for,  to  tell  the  truth,  hard  beating  in  the 
heavy  squalls  and  against  the  current  had  told  on 
my  strength.  Finding  that  the  anchor  held,  I 
drank  my  beverage,  and  named  the  place  Coffee 
Island.  It  lies  to  the  south  of  Charles  Island,  with 
only  a  narrow  channel  between. 

By  daylight  the  next  morning  the  Spray  was 
again  under  way,  beating  hard ;  but  she  came  to 


CHASED  BY  INDIANS  FROM  FOBTESCUE  BAY       91 


I 

a 


o 
o 


in  a  cove  in  Charles  Island,  two  and  a  half  miles 
along  on  her  course.  Here  she  remained  undis- 
turbed two  days,  with  both  anchors  down  in  a  bed 
of  kelp.  Indeed,  she  might  have  remained  undis- 
turbv^d  indefinitely  had  not  the  wind  moderated ; 
for  during  these  two  days  it  blew  so  hard  that  no 
boat  could  venture  out  on  the  strait,  and  the  na- 
tives being  away  to  other  hunting-grounds,  the  isl- 
and anchorage  was  safe.  But  at  the  end  of  the 
fierce  wind-storm  fair  weather  came;  then  I  got 
my  anchors,  and  again  sailed  out  upon  the  strait. 

Canoes  manned  by  savages  from  Fortescue  now 
came  in  pursuit.  The  wind  falling  light,  they 
gained  on  me  rapidly  till  coming  within  hail,  when 
they  ceased  paddling,  and  a  bow-legged  savage 
stood  up  and  called  to  me,  "  Yammerschooner  I 
yammerschooner !  **  which  is  their  begging  term. 
I  said,  "No!**  Now,  I  was  not  for  letting  on 
that  I  was  alone,  and  so  I  stepped  into  the 
cabin,  and,  passing  through  the  hold,  came  out  at 
the  fore-scuttle,  changing  my  clothes  as  I  went 
along.  That  made  two  men.  Then  the  piece  of 
bowsprit  which  I  had  sawed  off  at  Buenos  Aires, 
and  which  I  had  still  on  board,  I  arranged  forward 
on  the  lookout,  dressed  as  a  seaman,  attaching  a 
line  by  which  I  could  pull  it  into  motion.  That 
made  three  of  us,  and  we  did  n't  want  to  "  yam- 
merschooner"; but  for  all  that  the  savages  came 
on  faster  than  befoi-e.  I  saw  that  besides  four  at 
the  paddles  in  the  canoe  nearest  to  me,  there  were 
others  in  the  bottom,  and  that  they  were  shifting 
hands  often.  At  eighty  yards  I  fired  a  shot  across 
the  bows  of  the  nearest  canoe,  at  which  they  all 


92 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


I 


stopped,  but  only  for  a  moment.  Seeing  that  they 
persisted  in  coming  nearer,  I  fired  the  second  shot 
so  close  to  the  chap  who  wanted  to  "yammer- 
schooner  "  that  he  changed  his  mind  quickly  enough 
and  bellowed  with  fear,  "  Bueno  jo  via  Isla,"  and 
sitting  down  in  his  canoe,  he  rubbed  his  starboard 
cat-head  for  some  time.  I  was  thinking  of  the 
good  port  captain's  advice  when  I  pulled  the  trig- 
ger, and  must  have  aimed  pretty  straight;  how- 
ever, a  miss  was  as  good  as  a  mile  for  Mr.  **  Black 
Pedro,''  as  he  it  was,  and  no  other,  a  leader  in 
several  bloody  massacres.  He  made  for  the  island 
now,  and  the  others  followed  him.  I  knev  by  his 
Spanish  lingo  and  by  his  full  beard  that  he  was 
the  villain  I  have  named,  a  renegade  mongrel,  and 
the  worst  murderer  in  Tierra  del  Fuego.  The 
authorities  had  been  in  search  of  him  for  two  years. 
The  Fuegians  are  not  bearded. 

So  much  for  the  first  day  among  the  savages.  I 
came  to  anchor  at  midnight  in  Three  Island  Cove, 
about  twenty  miles  along  from  Fortescue  Bay.  I 
saw  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  strait  signal-fires, 
and  heard  the  barking  of  do  :s,  but  where  I  lay  it 
was  quite  deserted  by  natives.  I  have  always 
taken  it  as  a  sign  that  where  I  found  birds  sitting 
about,  or  seals  on  the  rocks,  I  should  not  find 
savage  Indians.  Seals  are  never  plentiful  in  these 
waters,  but  in  Three  Island  Cove  T  saw  one  on  the 
rocks,  and  other  signs  of  the  absence  of  savage  men. 

On  the  next  day  the  wind  was  again  blowing  a 
gale,  and  although  she  was  in  the  lee  of  the  land, 
the  sioop  dragged  her  anchors,  so  that  I  had  to  get 
her  under  way  and  beat  farther  into  the  cove,  where 


lat  they 
nd  shot 
ammer- 
enough 
la,''  and 
arboard 
:  of  tho 
the  trig- 
t;  how- 
**  Black 
3ader  in 
le  island 
V7  by  his 
;  he  was 
rrel,  and 
50.    The 
vo  years. 


rages.    I 

nd  Cove, 
Bay.    I 

nal-fires, 
I  lay  it 
always 

Is  sitting 
not  find 
in  these 
e  on  the 
age  men. 
owing  a 
;he  land, 
id  to  get 
re,  where 


> 

CO 


p 


I    I 

M 


i  I 


94 


SAILING  ALONE  ABOUND  THE  WORLD 


I  came  to  in  a  landlocked  pool.  At  another  time 
or  place  this  would  have  been  a  rash  thing  to  do, 
and  it  was  safe  now  only  from  the  fact  that  the  gale 
which  drove  me  to  shelter  would  keep  the  Indians 
from  crossing  the  strait.  Seeing  this  was  the  case, 
I  went  ashore  witl  ^  j.  and  ax  on  an  island,  where 
I  could  not  in  any  event  be  surprised,  and  there 
felled  trees  and  split  about  a  cord  of  fire-wood, 
which  loaded  my  small  boat  several  times. 

While  I  carried  the  wood,  though  I  was  morally 
sure  there  were  no  savages  near,  I  never  once  went 
to  or  from  the  skiff  without  my  gun.  While  I  had 
that  and  a  clear  field  of  over  eighty  yards  about  me 
I  felt  safe. 

The  trees  on  the  island,  very  scattering,  were 
a  sort  of  beech  and  a  stunted  cedar,  both  of  which 
made  good  fuel.  Even  the  green  limbs  of  the 
beech,  which  seemed  to  possess  a  resinous  qual- 
ity, burned  readily  in  my  great  drum-stove.  I 
have  described  my  method  of  wooding  up  in  detail, 
that  the  reader  who  has  kindly  borne  with  me  so 
far  may  see  that  in  this,  as  in  all  other  particulars 
of  my  voyage,  I  took  great  care  against  all  kinds 
of  surprises,  whether  by  animals  or  by  the  elements. 
In  the  Strait  of  Magellan  the  greatest  vigilance  was 
necessary.  In  this  instance  I  reasoned  that  I  had 
all  about  me  the  greatest  danger  of  the  whole 
voyage  —  the  treachery  of  cunning  savages,  for 
which  I  must  be  particularly  on  the  alert. 

The  Spray  sailed  from  Three  Island  Cove  in  the 
morning  after  the  gale  went  down,  but  was  glad  to 
return  for  shelter  from  another  sudden  gale.  Sail- 
ing again  on  the  following  day,  she  fetched  Borgia 


AT  THREE  ISLAND  COVE 


95 


Bay,  a  few  miles  on  her  course,  where  vessels  had 
anchored  from  time  to  time  and  had  nailed  boards 
on  the  trees  ashore  with  name  and  date  of  harboring 
carved  or  painted.  Nothing  else  could  I  see  to  in- 
dicate that  civilized  man  had  ever  been  there.  I 
had  taken  a  survey  of  the  gloomy  place  with  my 
spy-glass,  and  was  getting  my  boat  out  to  land  and 


A  bit  of  friendly  assistance. 
(After  a  sketch  by  Midshipman  Miguel  Arenas.) 

take  notes,  when  the  Chilean  gunboat  Huemel  came 
in,  and  officers,  coming  on  board,  advised  me  to 
leave  the  place  at  once,  a  thing  that  required  little 
eloquence  to  persuade  me  to  do.  I  accepted  the 
captain's  kind  offer  of  a  tow  to  the  next  anchorage, 
at  the  place  called  Notch  Cove,  eight  miles  farther 
along,  where  I  should  be  clear  of  the  worst  of  the 
Fuegians. 

We  made  anchorage  at  the  cove  about  dark 
that  night,  wrhile  the  wind  came  down  in  fierce 
Willi waws  from  the  mountains.  An  instance  of 
Magellan  weather  was  afforded  when  the  Huemel^  a 
well-appointed  gunboat  of  great  power,  after  at- 
tempting on  the  following  day  to  proceed  on  her 
voyage,  was  obliged  by  sheer  force  of  the  wind  to 


96 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


It 


return  and  take  up  anchorage  again  and  remain  till 
the  gale  abated ;  and  lucky  she  was  to  get  back  I 

Meeting  this  vessel  was  a  little  godsend.  She 
was  commanded  and  officered  by  high-class  sailors 
and  educated  gentlemen.  An  entertainment  that 
was  gotten  up  on  her,  impromptu,  at  the  Notch 
would  be  hard  to  beat  anywhere.  One  of  her  mid- 
shipmen sang  popular  songs  in  French,  German,  and 
Spanish,  and  one  (so  he  said)  in  Russian.  If  the 
audience  did  not  know  the  lingo  of  one  song  from 
another,  it  was  no  drawback  to  the  merriment. 

I  was  left  alone  the  next  day,  for  then  the  Huemel 
put  out  on  her  voyage  the  gale  having  abated. 
I  spent  a  day  taking  in  wood  and  water;  by  the 
end  of  that  time  the  weather  was  fine.  Then  I 
sailed  from  the  desolate  place. 

There  is  little  more  to  be  said  concerning  the 
Spratfs  first  passage  through  the  strait  that  would 
diffei  from  what  I  have  already  recorded.  She 
anchored  and  weighed  many  times,  and  beat  many 
days  against  the  current,  with  now  and  then  a 
"slant"  for  a  few  miles,  till  finally  she  gained 
anchorage  and  shelter  for  the  night  at  Port  Tamar, 
with  Cape  Pillar  in  sight  to  the  west.  Here  I  felt 
the  throb  of  the  great  ocean  that  lay  before  me.  I 
knew  now  that  I  had  put  a  world  behind  me,  and 
that  I  was  opening  out  another  world  ahead.  I 
had  passed  the  haunts  of  savages.  Great  piles  of 
granite  mountains  of  bleak  and  lifeless  aspect  were 
now  astern ;  on  some  of  them  not  even  a  speck  of 
moss  had  ever  grown.  There  was  an  unfinished 
newness  all  about  the  land.  On  the  hill  back  of 
Port  Tamar  a  small  beacon  had  been  thrown  up, 


ANIMAL  LIFE 


•7 


ain  till 
ackl 
..    She 
sailors 
it  that 

Notch 
)r  inid- 
m,  and 

If  the 
^  from 
tit. 

Euemel 
ibated. 
by  the 
rhen  I 

tig  the 
would 
She 
many 
hen  a 
gained 
amar, 
I  felt 

me.    I 

and 
d.  I 
es  of 
were 
ickof 
ished 
ck  of 
up, 


showing  that  some  man  had  been  there.  But  how 
could  one  tell  but  that  ho  had  died  of  loneliness  and 
grief  f  In  a  bleak  land  is  not  the  place  to  enjoy 
solitude. 

^Throughout  the  whole  of  the  strait  west  of  Cape 
Froward  I  saw  no  animals  except  dogs  owned  by 
savages.  These  I  saw  often  enough,  and  heard 
them  yelping  night  and  day.  Birds  were  not  plen- 
tiful. The  scream  of  a  wild  fowl,  which  I  took  for 
a  loon,  sometimes  startled  me  with  its  piercing  cry. 
The  steamboat  duck,  so  called  because  it  propels 
itself  over  the  sea  with  its  wings,  and  resembles  a 
miniature  side-wheel  steamer  in  its  motion,  was 
sometimes  seen  scurrying  on  out  of  danger.  It 
never  flies,  but,  hitting  the  water  instead  of  the 
air  with  its  wings,  it  moves  faster  than  a  rowboat 
or  a  canoe.  The  few  fur-seals  I  saw  were  very  shy; 
and  of  fishes  I  saw  next  to  none  at  all.  I  did  not  catch 
one;  indeed,  I  seldom  or  never  put  a  hook  over 
during  the  whole  voyage.  Here  in  the  strait  I  found 
great  abundance  of  mussels  of  an  excellent  quality. 
I  fared  sumptuously  on  them.  There  was  a  sort  of 
swan,  smaller  than  a  Muscovy  duck,  which  might 
have  been  brought  down  with  the  gun,  but  in  the 
loneliness  of  life  about  the  dreary  country  I  found 
myself  in  no  mood  to  make  one  life  loss,  except 
in  self-defense. 


,r'- 


I ! 


CHAPTER  VIII 

From  Cape  Pillar  into  the  Pacific — Driven  by  a  tempest  toward 
Cape  Horn  —  Captain  Slocum's  greatest  sea  adventure  —  Beach- 
ing the  strait  again  by  way  of  Cockburn  Channel  —  Some  sav- 
ages find  the  carpet-tacks  —  Danger  from  firebrands— A  series 
of  fierce  williwaws  —  Again  sailing  westward. 

IT  was  the  3d  of  March  when  the  Spray  sailed 
from  Port  Tamar  direct  for  Cape  Pillar,  with  the 
wind  from  the  northeast,  which  I  fervently  hoped 
might  hold  till  she  cleared  the  land ;  but  there  was 
no  such  good  luck  in  store.  It  soon  began  to  rain 
and  thicken  in  the  northwest,  boding  no  good.  The 
Spray  neared  Cape  Pillar  rapidly,  and,  nothing 
loath,  plunged  into  the  Pacific  Ocean  at  once,  tak- 
ing her  first  bath  of  it  in  the  gathering  storm. 
There  was  no  turning  back  even  had  I  wished  to 
do  so,  for  the  land  was  now  shut  out  by  the  dark- 
ness of  night.  The  wind  freshened,  and  I  took 
in  a  third  reef.  The  sea  was  confused  and  treach- 
erous. In  such  a  time  as  this  the  old  fisherman 
prayed,  "  Remember,  Lord,  my  ship  is  small  and 
thy  sea  is  so  wide ! "  I  saw  now  only  the  gleam- 
ing crests  of  the  waves.  They  showed  white  teeth 
while  the  slo^p  balanced  over  them.  "  Everything 
for  an  offing,''  I  cried,  and  to  this  end  I  carried  on 
all  the  sail  she  would  bear.  She  ran  all  night  with 
a  free  sheet,  but  on  the  morning  of  March  4  the 


DRIVEN  BY  A  TEMPEST 


09 


wind  shifted  to  southwest,  then  back  suddenly  to 
northwest,  and  blew  with  terrific  force.  The  Spray, 
Ftripped  of  her  sails,  then  bore  off  under  bare  poles. 
No  ship  in  the  world  could  have  stood  up  against 
so  violent  a  gale.  Knowing  that  this  storm  might 
continue  for  many  days,  and  that  it  would  be  im- 
possible to  work  back  to  the  westward  along  the 
coast  outside  of  Tierra  del  Fuego,  there  seemed 
nothing  to  do  but  to  keep  on  and  go  east  about, 


Cape  Pillar. 


after  all.  Anyhow,  for  my  present  safety  the  only 
course  lay  in  keeping  her  before  the  wind.  And  so 
she  drove  southeast,  as  though  about  to  round  the 
Horn,  while  the  waves  rose  and  fell  and  bellowed 
their  never-ending  story  of  the  sea;  but  the  tiand 
that  held  these  held  also  the  Spray.  She  was  run- 
ning now  with  a  reefed  forestaysail,  the  sheets  flat 
amidship.  I  paid  out  two  long  ropes  to  steady 
her  course  and  to  break  combing  seas  astern,  and  I 
lashed  the  helm  amidship.  In  this  trim  she  ran 
before  it,  shipping  never  a  sea.  Even  while  the 
storm  raged  at  its  worst,  my  ship  was  wholesome 


I 


100 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


i 


and  noble.  My  mind  as  to  her  seaworthiness  was 
put  at  ease  for  aye. 

When  all  had  been  done  that  I  could  do  for  the 
safety  of  the  vessel,  I  got  to  the  fore-scuttle,  be- 
tween seas,  and  prepared  a  pot  of  coffee  over  a  wood 
fire,  and  made  a  good  Irish  stew.  Then,  as  before 
and  afterward  on  the  Spray^  I  insisted  on  warm 
meals.  In  the  tide-race  off  Cape  Pillar,  however, 
where  the  sea  was  marvelously  high,  uneven,  and 
crooked,  my  appetite  was  slim,  and  for  a  time  I 
postponed  cooking.  (Confidentially,  I  was  seasick!) 

The  first  day  of  the  storm  gave  the  Spray  her 
actual  test  in  the  worst  sea  that  Cape  Horn  or  its 
wild  regions  could  afford,  and  in  no  part  of  the 
world  could  a  rougher  sea  be  found  than  at  thi? 
particular  point,  namely,  off  Cape  Pillar,  the  grim 
sentinel  of  the  Horn. 

Farther  offshore,  while  the  sea  was  majestic,  there 
was  less  apprehension  of  danger.  There  the  Spray 
rode,  now  like  a  bird  on  the  crest  of  a  wave, 
and  now  like  a  waif  deep  down  in  the  hollow 
between  seas;  and  so  she  drove  on.  Whole  days 
passed,  counted  as  other  days,  but  with  always  a 
thrill  —  yes,  of  delight. 

On  the  fourth  day  of  the  gale,  rapidly  nearing 
the  pitch  of  Cape  Horn,  I  inspected  my  chart  and 
pricked  off  the  course  and  distance  to  Port  Stanley, 
in  the  Falkland  Islands,  where  I  might  find  my 
way  and  refit,  when  I  saw  through  a  rift  in  the 
clouds  a  high  mountain,  about  seven  leagues  away 
on  the  port  beam.  The  fierce  edge  of  the  gale  by  this 
time  had  blown  off,  and  I  had  already  bent  a  square- 
sail  on  the  boom  in  place  of  the  mainsail,  which 


REACHING  THE  STRAIT  OF  MAGELLAN  AGAIN    101 


ess  was 

for  the 
tie,  be- 
a  wood 
5  before 
I  warm 
3wever, 
an,  and 

time  I 
jasick!) 
ray  her 
n  or  its 

of  the 
at  thip 
le  grim 

c,  there 
3  Spray 
wave, 
hollow 
[e  days 
ways  a 

learing 
?Tt  and 
tanley, 
nd  my 

in  the 
s  away 
by  this 
iquare- 

which 


^ 


was  torn  to  rags.  I  hauled  in  the  trailing  ropes, 
hoisted  this  awkward  sail  reefed,  the  forestaysail 
being  already  set,  and  under  this  sail  brought  her 
at  once  on  the  wind  heading  for  the  land,  which 
appeared  as  an  island  in  the  sea.  So  it  turned  out 
to  be,  though  not  the  one  I  had  supposed. 

I  was  exultant  over  the  prospect  of  once  more 
entering  the  Strait  of  Magellan  and  beating  through 
again  into  the  Pacific,  for  it  was  more  than  rough 
on  the  outside  coast  of  Tierra  del  Fuego.  It  was 
indeed  a  mountainous  sea.  When  the  sloop  was  in 
the  fiercest  squalls,  with  only  the  reefed  forestaysail 
set,  even  that  small  sail  shook  her  from  keelson  to 
truck  when  it  shivered  by  the  leech.  Had  I  nar- 
bored  the  shadow  of  a  doubt  for  her  safety,  it  would 
have  been  that  she  might  spring  a  leak  in  the  gar- 
board  at  the  heel  of  the  mast ;  but  she  never  called 
me  once  to  the  pump.  Under  pressure  of  the 
smallest  sail  I  could  set  she  made  for  the  land  like 
a  race-horse,  and  steering  her  over  the  crests  of  the 
waves  so  that  she  might  not  trip  was  nice  work. 
I  stood  at  the  helm  now  and  made  the  most  of  it. 

Night  closed  in  before  the  sloop  reached  the 
land,  leaving  her  feeling  the  way  in  pitchy  dark- 
ness. I  saw  breakers  ahead  before  long.  At  this  I 
wore  ship  and  stood  offshore,  but  was  immediately 
startled  by  the  tremendous  roaring  of  breakers 
again  ahead  and  on  the  lee  bow.  This  puzzled  me, 
for  there  should  have  been  no  broken  water  where 
I  supposed  myself  to  be.  I  kept  off  a  good  bit, 
then  wore  round,  but  finding  broken  water  also 
there,  threw  her  head  again  offshore.  In  this  way, 
among  dangers,  I  spent  the  rest  of  the  night.   Hail 


!  1 


102 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


and  sleet  in  the  fierce  squalls  cut  my  flesh  till  the 
blood  trickled  over  my  face;  but  what  of  that!  It 
was  daylight,  and  the  sloop  was  in  the  midst  of  the 
Milky  Way  of  the  sea,  which  is  northwest  of  Cape 
Horn,  and  it  was  the  white  breakers  of  a  huge  sea 
over  sunken  rocks  which  had  threatened  to  engulf 
her  through  the  night.  It  was  Fury  Island  I  had 
sighted  and  steered  for,  and  what  a  panorama  was 
before  me  now  and  all  around!  It  was  not  the 
time  to  complain  of  a  broken  skin.  What  could  I 
do  but  fill  away  among  the  breakers  and  find  a 
channel  between  them,  now  that  it  was  day  ?  Since 
she  had  escaped  the  rocks  through  the  night,  surely 
she  would  find  her  way  by  daylight.  This  was  the 
greatest  sea  adventure  of  my  life.  Q-od  knows  how 
my  vessel  escaped. 

The  sloop  at  last  reached  inside  of  small  islands 
that  sheltered  her  in  smooth  water.  Then  I  climbed 
the  mast  to  survey  the  wild  scene  astern.  The 
great  naturalist  Darwin  looked  over  this  seascape 
from  the  deck  of  the  Beagle^  and  wrote  in  his  journal, 
"Any  landsman  seeing  the  Milky  Way  would  have 
nightmare  for  a  week."  He  might  have  added,  "or 
seaman'*  as  well. 

The  Spray^s  good  luck  followed  fast.  I  discov- 
ered, as  she  sailed  along  through  a  labyrinth  of 
islands,  that  she  was  in  the  Cockburn  Channel, 
which  leads  into  the  Strait  of  Magellan  at  a  point 
opposite  Cape  Fro  ward,  and  that  she  was  already 
passing  Thieves'  Bay,  suggestively  named.  And 
at  night,  March  8,  behold,  she  was  at  anchor  in  a 
snug  cove  at  the  Turn !  Every  heart-beat  on  the 
Spray  now  counted  thanks. 


SAVAGES  FIND  THE  CAEPET-TACKS 


103 


till  the 
at  I    It 

)  of  the 
>f  Cape 
ige  sea 

engulf 
LI  had 
na  was 
lot  the 
could  I 

find  a 

Since 

,  surely 

NSiS  the 

7fs  how 

islands 
slimbed 
The 
ascape 
ournal, 
d  have 
ed,  "or 

discov- 
nth  of 
lannel, 
point 
Iready 
And 
)r  in  a 
on  the 


Here  I  pondered  on  the  events  of  the  last  few 
days,  and,  strangely  enough,  instead  of  feeling 
rested  from  sitting  or  lying  down,  I  now  began  to 
feel  jaded  and  worn;  but  a  hot  meal  of  venison 
stew  soon  put  me  right,  so  that  I  could  sleep.  As 
drowsiness  came  on  I  sprinkled  the  deck  with 
tacks,  and  then  I  turned  in,  bearing  in  mind  the 
advice  of  my  old  friend  Samblich  that  I  was  not 
to  step  on  them  myself.  I  saw  to  it  that  not  a 
few  of  them  stood  "  business  end "  up ;  for  when 
the  Spray  passed  Thieves'  Bay  two  canoes  had  put 
out  and  followed  in  her  wake,  and  there  was  no 
disguising  the  fact  any  longer  that  I  was  alone. 

Now,  it  is  well  known  that  one  cannot  step  on  a 
tack  without  saying  something  about  it.  A  pretty 
good  Christian  will  whistle  when  he  steps  on  the 
"commercial  end"  of  a  carpet-tack ;  a  savage  will 
howl  and  claw  the  air,  and  that  was  just  what  hap- 
pened that  night  about  twelve  o'clock,  while  I  was 
asleep  in  the  cabin,  where  the  savages  thought  they 
"  had  me,"  sloop  and  all,  but  changed  their  minds 
when  they  stepped  on  deck,  for  then  they  thought 
that  I  or  somebody  else  had  them.  I  had  no  need 
of  a  dog ;  they  howled  like  a  pack  of  hounds.  I 
had  hardly  use  for  a  gun.  They  jumped  pell-mell, 
some  into  their  canoes  and  some  into  th  sea,  to 
cool  off,  I  suppose,  and  there  was  a  deal  of  free  lan- 
guage over  it  as  they  went.  I  fired  several  guns 
when  I  came  on  deck,  to  let  the  rascals  know  that 
I  was  home,  and  then  I  turned  in  again,  feeling  sure 
I  should  not  be  disturbed  any  more  by  people  who 
left  in  so  great  a  hurry. 

The  Fuegians,  being  cruel,  are  naturally  cowards ; 


104 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


they  regard  a  rifle  with  superstitious  fear.  The 
only  real  danger  one  could  see  that  might  come 
from  their  quarter  would  be  from  allowing  them  to 
surround  one  within  bow-shot,  or  to  anchor  within 


•  *■ 


"  They  howled  like  a  pack  of  hounds." 


range  where  they  might  lie  in  ambush.  As  for 
their  coming  on  deck  at  night,  even  had  I  not  put 
tacks  about,  I  could  have  cleared  them  off  by 
shots  from  the  cabin  and  hold.  I  always  kept  a 
quantity  of  ammunition  within  reach  in  the  hold 
and  in  the  cabin  and  in  the  forepeak,  so  that 


DANGER  FROM  FIREBRANDS 


105 


retreating  to  any  of  these  places  I  could  "hold  the 
fort "  simply  by  shooting  up  through  the  deck. 

Perhaps  the  greatest  danger  to  be  apprehended 
was  from  the  use  of  fire.  Every  canoe  carries  fire ; 
nothing  is  thought  of  that,  for  it  is  their  custom 
to  communicate  by  smoke-signals.  The  harmless 
brand  that  lies  smoldering  in  the  bottom  of  one  of 
their  canoes  might  be  ablaze  in  one's  cabin  if  he 
were  not  on  the  alert.  The  port  captain  of  Sandy 
Point  warned  me  particularly  of  this  danger.  Only 
a  short  time  before  they  had  fired  a  Chilean  gun- 
boat by  throwing  brands  in  through  the  stern 
windows  of  the  cabin.  The  Spray  had  no  openings 
in  the  cabin  or  deck,  except  two  scuttles,  and  these 
were  guarded  by  fastenings  which  could  not  be 
undone  without  waking  me  if  I  were  asleep. 

On  the  morning  of  the  9th,  after  a  refreshing 
rest  and  a  warm  breakfast,  and  after  I  had  swept 
the  deck  of  tacks,  I  got  out  what  spare  canvas 
there  was  on  board,  and  began  to  sew  the  pieces 
together  in  the  shape  of  a  peak  for  my  square- 
mainsail,  the  tarpaulin.  The  day  to  all  appearances 
promised  fine  weather  and  light  winds,  but  appear- 
ances in  Tierra  del  Fuego  do  not  always  count. 
While  I  was  wondering  why  no  trees  grew  on  the 
slope  abreast  of  the  anchorage,  half  minded  to  lay 
by  the  sail-making  and  land  with  my  gun  for  some 
game  and  to  inspect  a  white  boulder  on  the  beach, 
near  the  brook,  a  williwaw  came  down  with  such 
terrific  force  as  to  carry  the  Spray,  with  two 
anchors  down,  like  a  feather  out  of  the  cove  and 
away  into  deep  water.  No  wonder  trees  did  not 
grow  on  the  side  of  that  hill!    Great  Boreas  I  a 


I 


m 


106 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


i! 


I 


tree  would  need  to  be  all  roots  to  hold  on  against 
sucli  a  furious  wind. 

From  the  cove  to  the  nearest  land  to  leeward  was 
a  long  drift,  however,  and  I  had  ample  time  to 
weigh  both  anchors  before  the  sloop  came  near  any 
danger,  and  so  no  harm  came  of  it.  I  saw  no  more 
savages  that  day  or  the  next ;  they  probably  had 
some  sign  by  which  they  know  of  the  coming  willi- 
waws;  at  least,  they  were  wise  in  not  being  afloat 
even  on  the  second  day,  for  I  had  no  sooner  gotten 
to  work  at  sail-making  again,  after  the  anchor  was 
down,  than  the  wind,  as  on  the  day  before,  picked 
the  sloop  up  and  flung  her  seaward  with  a  ven- 
geance, anchor  and  all,  as  before.  This  fierce  wind, 
usual  to  the  Magellan  country,  continued  on  through 
the  day,  and  swept  the  sloop  by  several  miles  of 
steep  bluffs  and  precipices  overhanging  a  bold 
shore  of  wild  and  uninviting  appearance.  I  was 
not  sorry  to  get  away  from  it,  though  in  doing  so 
it  was  no  Elysian  shore  to  which  I  shaped  my 
course.  I  kept  on  sailing  in  hope,  since  I  had  no 
choice  but  to  go  on,  heading  across  for  St.  Nicholas 
Bay,  where  I  had  cast  anchor  February  19.  It  was 
now  the  10th  of  March  I  Upon  reaching  the  bay 
the  second  time  I  had  circumnavigated  the  wildest 
part  of  desolate  Tierra  del  Fuego.  But  the  Spray 
had  not  yet  arrived  at  St.  Nicholas,  and  by  the 
merest  accident  her  bones  were  saved  from  resting 
there  when  she  did  arrive.  The  parting  of  a  stay- 
sail-sheet in  a  williwaw,  when  the  sea  was  turbulent 
and  she  was  plunging  into  the  storm,  brought  me 
forward  to  see  instantly  a  dark  cliff  ahead  and 
breakers  so  close  under  the  bows  that  I  felt  surely 


A  SERIES  OF  FIERCE  WILLIWAW8 


107 


lost,  and  in  my  thoughts  cried,  "  Is  the  hand  of  fate 
against  me,  after  all,  leading  me  in  the  end  to  this 
dark  spot?**  I  sprang  aft  again,  unheeding  the 
flapping  sail,  and  threw  the  wheel  over,  expectin^^, 
as  the  sloop  came  down  into  the  hollow  of  a  wave, 
to  feel  her  timbers  smash  under  me  on  the  rocks. 


A  glimpse  of  Sandy  Point  (Punta  Arenas)  in  the  Strait  of  Magellan. 

But  at  the  touch  of  her  helm  she  swung  clear  of  the 
danger,  and  in  the  next  moment  she  was  in  the  lee 
of  the  land. 

It  was  the  small  island  in  the  middle  of  the  bay 
for  which  the  sloop  had  been  steering,  and  which 
she  made  with  such  unerring  aim  as  nearly  to  run 
it  down.  Farther  along  in  the  bay  was  the  anchor- 
age, which  I  managed  to  reach,  but  before  I  could 


■■*¥ 


108 


SAILINQ  ALONE  ABOUND  THE  WORLD 


I 


I  ^ 


I 


■  f 


^      \ 


get  the  anchor  down  another  squall  caught  the 
sloop  and  whirled  her  round  like  a  top  and  carried 
her  away,  altogether  to  leeward  of  the  bay.  Still 
farther  to  leeward  was  a  great  headland,  and  I  bore 
off  for  that.  This  was  retracing  my  course  toward 
Sandy  Point,  for  the  gale  was  from  the  southwest. 

I  had  the  sloop  soon  under  good  control,  how- 
ever, and  in  a  short  time  rounded  to  under  the  lee 
of  a  mountain,  where  the  sea  was  as  smooth  as  a 
mill-pond,  and  the  sails  flapped  and  hung  limp 
while  she  carried  her  way  close  in.  Here  I  thought 
I  would  anchor  and  rest  till  morning,  the  depth 
being  eight  fathoms  very  close  to  the  shore.  But 
it  was  interesting  to  see,  as  I  let  go  the  anchor, 
that  it  did  not  reach  the  bottom  before  another 
williwaw  struck  down  from  this  mountain  and 
carried  the  sloop  off  faster  than  I  could  pay  out 
cable.  Therefore,  instead  of  resting,  I  had  to  "  man 
the  windlass  ^  and  heave  up  the  anchor  with  fifty 
fathoms  of  cable  hanging  up  and  down  in  deep 
water.  This  was  in  that  part  of  the  strait  called 
Famine  Reach.  Dismal  Famine  Reach!  On  the 
sloop's  crab-windlass  I  worked  the  rest  of  the  night, 
thinking  how  much  easier  it  was  for  me  when  I 
could  say,  "  Do  that  thing  or  the  other,"  than  now 
doing  all  myself.  But  I  hove  away  and  sang  the 
old  chants  that  I  sang  when  I  was  a  sailor.  Within 
the  last  few  days  I  had  passed  through  much  and 
was  now  thankful  that  my  state  was  no  worse. 

It  was  daybreak  when  the  anchor  was  at  the 
hawse.  By  this  time  the  wind  had  gone  down,  and 
cat's-paws  took  the  place  of  williwaws,  while  the 
sloop  drifted  slowly  toward  Sandy  Point    She 


AGAIN  SAILING  WESTWARD 


100 


came  within  sight  of  ships  at  anchor  in  the  roads, 
and  I  was  more  than  half  minded  to  put  in  for  new 
sails,  but  the  wind  coming  out  from  the  northeast, 
which  was  fair  for  the  other  direction,  I  turned 
the  prow  of  the  Spray  westward  once  more  for  the 
Pacific,  to  traverse  a  second  time  the  second  half  of 
my  first  course  through  the  strait. 


I 


CHAPTER  IX 

Repairing  the  Spray's  sails  —  Savages  and  an  obstreperous  anchor— 
A  spider-fight  —  An  encounter  with  Black  Pedro  —  A  yisit  to  the 
steamship  Colombia  —  On  the  defensive  against  a  fleet  of  canoes 
—  A  record  of  voyages  through  the  strait  —  A  chance  cargo  of 
tallow. 

I  WAS  determined  to  rely  on  my  own  small 
resources  to  repair  the  damages  of  the  great 
gale  which  drove  me  southward  toward  the 
Horn,  after  I  had  passed  from  the  Strait  of  Ma- 
gellan out  into  the  Pacific.  So  when  I  had  got 
back  into  the  strait,  by  way  of  Cockburn  Channel, 
I  did  not  proceed  eastward  for  help  at  the  Sandy 
Point  settlement,  but  turning  again  into  the  north- 
westward reach  of  the  strait,  set  to  work  with  my 
palm  and  needle  at  every  opportunity,  when  at 
anchor  and  when  sailing.  It  was  slow  work ;  but 
little  by  little  the  squaresail  on  the  boom  expanded 
to  the  dimensions  of  a  serviceable  mainsail  with  a 
peak  to  it  and  a  leech  besides.  If  it  was  not  the 
best-setting  sail  afloat,  it  was  at  least  very  strongly 
made  and  would  stand  a  hard  blow.  A  ship,  meet- 
ing the  Spray  long  afterward,  reported  her  as  wear- 
ing a  mainsail  of  some  improved  design  and  patent 
reefer,  but  that  was  not  the  case. 
The  Spray  for  a  few  days  after  the  storm  enjoyed 

fine  weather,  and  made  fair  time  through  the  strait 

no 


SAVAGES  AND  AN  0BSTBEPERCU8  ANCHOR   111 


for  the  distance  of  twenty  miles,  which,  in  these 
days  of  many  adversities,  I  called  a  long  run.  The 
weather,  I  say,  was  fine  for  a  few  days;  but  it 
brought  little  rest.  Care  for  the  safety  of  my  ves- 
sel, and  even  for  my  own  life,  was  in  no  wise  les- 
sened by  the  absence  of  heavy  weather.  Indeed, 
the  peril  was  even  greater,  inasmuch  as  the  savages 
on  comparatively  fine  days  ventured  forth  on  their 
marauding  excursions,  and  in  boisterous  weather 
disappeared  from  sight,  their  wretched  canoes 
being  frail  and  undeserving  the  name  of  craft  at  all. 
This  being  so,  I  now  enjoyed  gales  of  wind  as  never 
before,  and  the  Spray  was  never  long  without  them 
during  her  struggles  about  Cape  Horn.  I  became 
in  a  measure  inured  to  the  life,  and  began  to  think 
that  one  more  trip  through  the  strait,  if  perchance 
the  sloop  should  be  blown  off  again,  would  make 
me  the  aggressor,  and  put  the  Fuegians  entirely  on 
the  defensive.  This  feeling  was  forcibly  borne  in 
on  me  at  Snug  Bay,  where  I  anchored  at  gray 
morning  after  passing  Cape  Froward,  to  find,  when 
broad  day  appeared,  that  two  canoes  which  I  had 
eluded  by  sailing  all  night  were  now  entering  the 
same  bay  stealthily  under  the  shadow  of  the  high 
headland.  They  were  well  manned,  and  the  sav- 
ages were  well  armed  with  spears  and  bows.  At 
a  shot  from  my  rifle  across  the  bows,  both  turned 
aside  into  a  small  creek  out  of  range.  In  danger 
now  of  being  flanked  by  the  savages  in  the  bush 
close  aboard,  I  was  obliged  to  hoist  the  sails,  which 
I  had  barely  lowered,  and  make  across  to  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  strait,  a  distance  of  six  miles. 
But  now  I  was  put  to  my  wit's  end  as  to  how  I 


112 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


i! 


should  weigh  anchor,  for  through  an  accident  to 
the  windlass  right  here  I  could  not  budge  it.  How- 
ever, I  set  all  sail  and  filled  away,  first  hauling 
short  by  hand.  The  sloop  carried  her  anchor  away, 
as  though  it  was  meant  to  be  always  towed  in  this 
way  underfoot,  and  with  it  she  towed  a  ton  or  more 
of  kelp  from  a  reef  in  the  bay,  the  wind  blowing  a" 
wholesale  breeze. 

Meanwhile  I  worked  till  blood  started  from  my 
fingers,  and  with  one  eye  over  my  shoulder  for 
savages,  I  watched  j-t  the  same  time,  and  sent  a 
bullet  whistling  whenever  I  saw  a  limb  or  a  twig 
move;  for  I  kept  a  gun  always  at  hand,  and  an  In- 
dian appearing  then  within  range  would  have  been 
taken  as  a  declaration  of  war.  As  it  was,  however, 
my  own  blood  was  all  that  was  spilt — and  from  the 
trifling  accident  of  sometimes  breaking  the  flesh 
against  a  cleat  or  a  pin  which  came  in  the  way 
when  I  was  in  haste.  Sea-cuts  in  my  hands  from 
pulling  on  hard,  wet  ropes  were  sometimes  painful 
and  often  bled  freely;  but  these  healed  when  I 
finally  got  away  from  the  strait  into  fine  weather. 

After  clearing  Snug  Bay  I  hauled  the  sloop  to 
the  wind,  repaired  the  windlass,  and  hove  the 
anchor  to  the  hawse,  catted  it,  and  then  stretched 
across  to  a  port  of  refuge  under  a  high  mountain 
about  six  miles  away,  and  came  to  in  nine  fathoms 
close  under  the  face  of  a  perpendicular  cliff.  Here 
my  own  voice  answered  back,  and  I  named  the 
place  "  Echo  Mountain."  Seeing  dead  trees  farther 
along  where  the  shore  was  broken,  I  made  a  lauding 
for  fuel,  taking,  besides  my  ax,  a  rifle,  which  on 
these  days  I  never  left  far  from  hand ;  but  I  saw 


A  SPIDEB-PIGHT 


113 


lowever. 


no  living  thing  here,  except  a  small  spider,  which 
had  nested  in  a  dry  log  that  I  boated  to  the  sloop. 
The  conduct  of  this  insect  interested  me  now  more 
than  anything  else  around  the  wild  place.  In  my 
cabin  it  met,  oddly  enough,  a  spider  of  its  own 
size  and  species  that  had  come  all  the  way  from 
Boston  —  a  very  civil  little  chap,  too,  but  mighty 
spry.  Well,  the  Fuegian  threw  up  its  antennae  for 
a  fight ;  but  my  little  Bostonian  downed  it  at  once, 
then  broke  its  legs,  and  pulled  them  off,  one  by  one, 
so  dexterously  that  in  less  than  three  minutes  from 
the  time  the  battle  began  the  Fuegian  spider  did  n't 
know  itself  from  a  fly. 

I  made  haste  the  following  morning  to  be  under 
way  after  a  night  of  wakefulness  on  the  weird 
shore.  Before  weighing  anchor,  however,  I  pre- 
pared a  cup  of  warm  coffee  over  a  smart  wood  fire 
in  my  great  Montevideo  stove.  In  the  same  fire 
was  cremated  the  Fuegian  spider,  slain  the  day  be- 
fore by  the  little  warrior  from  Boston,  which  a 
Scots  lady  at  Cape  Town  long  after  named  "  Bruce  ^ 
upon  hearing  of  its  prowess  at  Echo  Mountain. 
The  Spray  now  reached  away  for  Coffee  Island, 
which  I  sighted  on  my  birthday.  February  20, 1896. 

There  she  encountered  another  gale,  that  brought 
her  in  the  lee  of  great  Charles  Island  for  shelter. 
On  a  bluff  point  on  Charles  were  signal-fires,  and 
a  tribe  of  savages,  mustered  here  since  my  first 
trip  through  the  strait,  manned  their  canoes  to 
put  off  for  the  sloop.  It  was  not  prudent  to  come 
to,  the  anchorage  being  within  bow-shot  of  the 
shore,  which  was  thickly  wooded ;  but  1  ma,  le  signs 
that  one  canoe  might  come  alongside,  while  the 


»lt 


o 

a 
o 
o 

M 
o 


AN  ENCOUNTER  WITH  BLACK  PE1>R0 


115 


sloop  ranged  about  under  sail  in  the  lee  of  the 
land.  The  others  I  motioned  to  keep  off,  and  in- 
cidentally laid  a  smart  Martini-Henry  rifle  in  sight, 
close  at  hand,  on  the  top  of  the  cabin.  In  the 
canoe  that  came  alongside,  cryiag  their  never-end- 
ing begging  word  "  yammerschooner,'*  were  two 
squaws  and  one  Indian,  the  hardest  specimens  of 
humanity  I  had  ever  seen  in  any  of  my  travels. 
"  Yammerschooner "  was  their  plaint  when  they 
pushed  off  from  the  shore,  and  "  yammerschooner  ^ 
it  was  when  they  got  alongside.  The  squaws  beck- 
oned for  food,  while  the  Indian,  a  black-visaged 
savage,  stood  sulkily  as  if  he  took  no  interest  at  all 
in  the  matter,  but  on  my  turning  my  back  for  some 
biscuits  and  jerked  beef  for  the  squaws,  the  "  buck  ^ 
sprang  on  deck  and  confronted  me,  saying  in  Span- 
ish jargon  that  we  had  met  before.  I  thought  I 
recognized  the  tone  of  his  "  yammerschooner,**  and 
his  full  beard  identified  him  as  the  Black  Pedro 
whom,  it  was  true,  I  had  met  before.  "  Where  are 
the  rest  of  the  crew  ? "  he  asked,  as  he  looked  un- 
easily around,  expecting  hands,  maybe,  to  come 
out  of  the  fore-scuttle  and  deal  him  his  just  deserts 
for  many  murders.  "About  three  weeks  ago," 
said  he,  "  when  you  passed  up  here,  I  saw  three 
men  on  board.  Where  are  the  other  two  1^  I  an- 
swered him  briefly  that  the  same  crew  was  still  on 
board.  "  But,**  said  he,  "I  see  you  are  doing  all 
the  work,**  and  with  a  leer  he  added,  as  he  glanced 
at  the  mainsail,  "hombre  valiente.**  I  explained 
thtt*;  I  did  all  the  work  m  the  day,  while  the  rest 
of  the  crew  slept,  so  that  they  would  be  fresh  to 
watch  for  Indians  at  night.    I  was  interested  in 


■HI 


«1 


ti.\t\ 


^ 


ill 


J 


116 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


the  subtle  cunning  of  this  savage,  knowing  him,  as 
I  did,  better  perhaps  than  he  was  aware.  Even 
had  I  not  been  advised  before  I  sailed  from  Sandy- 
Point,  I  should  have  measured  him  for  an  arch- 
villain  now.  Moreover,  one  of  the  squaws,  with 
that  spark  of  kindliness  which  is  somehow  found 
in  the  breast  of  even  the  lowest  savage,  warned  me 
by  a  sign  to  be  on  my  guard,  or  Black  Pedro  would 
do  me  harm.  There  was  no  need  of  the  warning, 
however,  for  I  was  on  my  guard  from  the  first,  and 
at  that  moment  held  a  smart  revolver  in  my^hand 
ready  for  instant  service. 

"  When  you  sailed  through  here  before,"  he  said, 
"  you  fired  a  shot  at  me,"  adding  with  some  warmth 
that  it  was  "  muy  malo."  I  affected  not  to  under- 
stand, and  said,  "  You  have  lived  at  Sandy  Point, 
have  you  not  I "  He  answered  frankly,  "  Yes,"  and 
appeared  delighted  to  meet  one  who  had  come  from 
the  dear  old  place.  "  At  the  mission  ?  "  I  queried. 
"  Why,  yes,"  he  replied,  stepping  forward  as  if  to 
embrace  p^  old  friend.  I  motioned  him  back,  for 
I  did  not  share  his  flattering  humor.  "  And  you 
kno'A'  Captain  Pedro  Samblich  ? "  continued  I. 
"  Yes,"  said  the  villain,  who  had  killed  a  kinsman 
of  Samblich  —  "yes,  indeed;  he  is  a  gi'eat  friend 
of  mine."  "  I  know  it,"  said  I.  Samblich  had  told 
me  to  shoot  him  on  sight.  Pointing  to  my  rifle  on 
the  cabin,  he  wanted  to  know  how  many  times  it 
fired.  "  Cuantos  ?  "  said  he.  When  I  explained  to 
him  that  that  gun  kept  right  on  shooting,  his  jaw 
fell,  and  he  spoke  of  getting  away.  I  did  not  hin- 
der him  from  going.  I  gave  the  squaws  biscuits 
and  beef,  and  one  of  them  gave  me  several  lumps 


AN  ENCOUNTER  WITH  BLACK  PEDRO 


117 


um,  as 
Even 
Sandy 
.  arch- 
5,  with 
found 
led  me 
would 
Lining, 
st,  and 
>^^]iand 

e  said, 

'armth 

under- 

Point, 

^,"  and 

e  from 

leried. 

if  to 

k,  for 

d  you 

led  I. 

isman 

friend 

,d  told 

ifle  on 

nes  it 

led  to 

is  jaw 

b  hin- 

scuits 

umps 


of  tallow  in  exchange,  and  I  think  it  worth  men- 
tioning that  she  did  not  offer  me  the  smallest 
pieces,  but  with  some  extra  trouble  handed  me  the 
largest  of  all  the  pieces  in  the  canoe.  No  Christian 
could  have  done  more.  Before  pushing  off  from 
the  sloop  the  cunning  savage  asked  for  matches, 
and  made  as  if  to  reach  with  the  end  of  his  spear 
the  box  I  was  about  to  give  him ;  but  I  held  it  to- 
ward him  on  the  muzzle  of  my  rifle,  the  one  that 
"  kept  on  shooting."  The  chap  picked  the  box  off 
the  gun  gingerly  enough,  to  be  sure,  but  he  jumped 
when  I  said,  "Quedao  LLook  out],''  at  which  the 
squaws  laughed  and  seemed  not  at  all  displeased. 
Perhaps  the  wretch  had  clubbed  them  that  morn- 
ing for  not  gatheriiQg  mussels  enough  for  his 
breakfast.  There  was  a  good  understanding 
among  us  all. 

From  Charles  Island  the  Spray  crossed  over  to 
Forteseue  Bay,  where  she  anchored  and  spent  a 
comfortable  night  under  the  lee  of  high  land,  while 
the  wind  howled  outside.  The  bay  was  deserted 
now.  They  were  Fortescue  Indians  whom  I  had 
seen  at  the  island,  and  I  felt  quite  sure  they  could 
not  follow  the  Spray  in  the  present  hard  blow.  Not 
to  neglect  a  precaution,  however,  I  sprinkled  tacks 
on  dock  before  I  turned  in. 

On  the  following  day  the  loneliness  of  the  place 
was  broken  by  the  appearance  of  a  great  steamship, 
making  for  the  anchorage  with  a  lofty  bearing. 
She  was  no  Diego  craft.  I  knew  the  sheer,  the 
model,  and  the  poise.  I  threw  out  my  flag,  and 
directly  saw  the  Stars  and  Stripes  flung  to  the 
breeze  from  the  great  ship. 


I 


T'l 


m 


•nil' 


m 


It,, 

m 

mw 


118 


SAILING  ALONE  ABOUND  THE  WORLD 


If 


ii 


^i 


The  wind  had  then  a,bated,  and  toward  night 
the  savages  made  their  appearance  from  the  island, 
going  direct  to  the  steanker  to  "  yammerschooner." 
Then  they  came  to  the  Sjpray  to  beg  more,  or  to 
steal  all,  declaring  that  they  got  nothing  from  the 
steamer.  Black  Pedro  here  came  alongside  again. 
My  own  brother  could  not  have  been  more  de- 
lighted to  see  me,  and  he  begged  me  to  lend  him  my 
rifle  to  shoot  a  guanaco  for  me  in  the  morning. 
I  assured  the  fellow  that  if  I  remained  there  an- 
other day  I  would  lend  him  the  gun,  but  I  had  no 
mind  to  remain.  I  gave  him  a  cooper's  draw-knife 
and  some  other  small  implements  which  would  be 
of  service  in  canoe-making,  and  bade  him  be  off. 

Under  the  cover  of  darkness  that  night  I  went 
to  the  steamer  which  I  found  to  be  the  Colomhia^ 
Captain  Henderson,  from  New  York,  bound  for  San 
Francisco.  I  carried  all  my  guns  along  with  me,  in 
case  it  should  be  necessary  to  fight  my  way  back. 
In  the  chief  mate  of  the  Colombia,  Mr.  Hannibal,  I 
found  an  old  friend,  and  he  referred  affectionately 
to  days  in  Manila  when  we  were  there  together,  he 
in  the  Southern  Cross  and  I  m  the  Northern  Light, 
both  ships  as  beautiful  as  their  names. 

The  Colombia  had  an  abundance  of  fresh  stores 
on  board.  The  captain  gave  his  steward  some 
order,  and  I  remember  that  the  guileless  young 
man  asked  me  if  I  could  manage,  besides  other 
things,  a  few  cans  of  milk  and  a  cheese.  When  I 
offered  my  Montevideo  gold  for  the  supplies,  the 
captain  roared  like  a  lion  and  told  me  to  put  my 
money  up.  It  was  a  glorious  outfit  of  provisions 
of  all  kinds  that  I  got. 


A  VISIT  TO  THE  STEAMSHIP  "COLOMBIA" 


119 


Eeturning  to  the  Spray,  where  I  found  all  secure, 
I  prepared  for  an  early  start  in  the  morning.  It 
was  agreed  that  the  steamer  should  blow  her 
whistle  for  me  if  first  on  the  move.    I  watched 


I 


"I 


Ml 


ti  f '1 


A  contrast  in  lighting  — the  electric  lights  of  the  Colombia 
and  the  canoe  fires  of  the  Fortescue  Indians. 


*he  steamer,  off  and  on,  through  the  night  for  the 
pleasure  alone  of  seeing  her  electric  lights,  a  pleas- 
ing sight  in  contrast  to  the  ordinary  Fuegian 
canoe  with  a  brand  of  fire  in  it.  The  sloop  was 
the  first  under  way,  but  the  Colombia^  soon  fol- 
lowing, passed,  and  saluted  as  she  went  by.  Had 
the  captain  given  me  his  steamer,  his  company 


i4 


120 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


would  have  been  no  worse  off  than  they  were  two 
or  three  months  later.  I  read  afterward,  in  a  late 
California  paper,  "The  Colombia  will  be  a  total 
loss.**  On  her  second  trip  to  Panama  she  was 
wrecked  on  the  rocks  of  the  California  coast. 

The  Spray  was  then  beating  against  wind  and 
current,  as  usual  in  the  strait.  At  this  point  the 
tides  from  the  Atlantic  and  the  Pacific  meet,  and 
in  the  strait,  as  on  the  outside  coast,  their  meet- 
ing makes  a  commotion  of  whirlpools  and  combers 
that  in  a  gale  of  wind  is  dangerous  to  canoes  and 
other  frail  craft. 

A  few  miles  farther  along  was  a  large  steamer 
ashore,  bottom  up.  Passing  this  place,  the  sloop 
ran  into  a  streak  of  light  wind,  and  then  —  a  most 
remarkable  condition  for  strait  weather — it  fell 
entirely  calm.  Signal-fires  sprang  up  at  once  on 
all  sides,  and  then  more  than  twenty  canoes  hove 
in  sight,  all  heading  for  the  Spray,  As  they  came 
within  hail,  their  savage  crews  cried,  "Amigo 
yammorschooner,"  "  Anclas  aqui,"  "  Bueno  puerto 
aqui,''  and  like  scraps  of  Spanish  mixed  with  their 
own  jargon.  I  had  no  thought  of  anchoring  in 
their  "good  port."  I  hoisted  the  sloop's  flag  and 
fired  a  gun,  all  of  which  they  might  construe  as  a 
friendly  salute  or  an  invitation  to  come  on.  They 
drew  up  in  a  semicircle,  but  kept  outside  of  eighty 
yards,  which  in  self-defense  would  have  been  the 
death-line. 

In  their  mosquito  fleet  was  a  ship's  boat  stolen 
probably  from  a  murdered  crew.  Six  savages 
paddled  this  rather  awkwardly  with  the  blades  of 
oars  which  had  been  broken  off.      Two  of  the 


ON  THE  DEFENSIVE  AGAINST  A  FLEET  OF  CANOES  121 


re  two 

a  late 

%  total 

e  was 

id  and 
nt  the 
3t,  and 
meet- 
•mbers 
)s  and 

earner 

sloop 

L  most 

it  fell 

ice  on 

hove 

came 

Lmigo 

)uerto 

their 

pg  in 

and 

as  a 

They 

ighty 

the 

tolen 
^ages 
es  of 
the 


savages  standing  erect  wore  sea-boots,  and  this 
sustained  the  suspicion  that  they  had  fallen  upon 
some  luckless  ship's  crew,  and  also  added  a  hint 
that  they  had  already  visited  the  Spraifs  deck,  and 
would  now,  if  they  could,  try  her  again.  Their 
sea-boots,  I  have  no  doubt,  ^ould  have  protected 
their  feet  and  rendered  carpet-tacks  harmless. 
Paddling  clumsily,  they  passed  down  the  strait 
at  a  distance  of  a  hundred  yards  from  the  sloop, 
in  an  offhand  manner  and  as  if  bound  to  Fortes- 
cue  Bay.  This  I  judged  to  be  a  piece  of  strategy, 
and  so  kept  a  sharp  lookout  over  a  small  island 
which  soon  came  in  range  between  them  and 
the  sloop,  completely  hiding  them  from  view, 
and  toward  which  the  Spray  was  now  drifting 
helplessly  with  the  tide,  and  with  every  prospect  of 
going  on  the  rocks,  for  there  was  no  anchorage,  at 
least,  none  that  my  cables  would  reach.  And,  sure 
enough,  I  soon  saw  a  movement  in  the  grass  just 
on  top  of  the  island,  which  is  called  Bonet  Island 
and  is  one  hundred  and  thirty-six  feet  high.  I 
fired  several  shots  over  the  place,  but  saw  no  other 
sign  of  the  savages.  It  was  they  that  had  moved 
the  grass,  for  as  the  sloop  swept  past  the  island, 
the  rebound  of  the  tide  carrying  her  clear,  there  on 
the  other  side  was  the  boat,  surely  enough  ex- 
posing their  cunning  and  treachery.  A  stiff  breeze, 
coming  up  suddenly,  now  scattered  the  canoes 
while  it  extricated  the  sloop  from  a  dangeroui 
position,  albeit  the  wind,  though  friendly,  was  ^till 
ahead. 

The  Sj/ray^  flogging  against  current  and  wind, 
made  Borgia  Bay  on  the  following  afternoon,  and 


)<] 


III 

31 


^ti 


122 


SAILING  ALONE  ABOUND  THE  WORLD 


cast  anchor  there  for  the  second  time.  I  would 
now,  if  I  could,  describe  the  moonlit  scene  on  the 
strait  at  midnight  after  I  had  cleared  the  savages 

and    Bonet    Island. 
A  heavy  cloud-bank 
that  had  swept  across 
the  sky  then  cleared 
away,  and  the  night 
became  suddenly  as 
light  as  day,  or  nearly 
so.    A   high   moun- 
tain was  mirrored  in 
the  channel  ahead, 
and  the  S]pray  sail- 
ing   along    with 
her  shadow  was  as 
two    sloops    on   the 
sea. 

The  sloop  being 
moored,  I  threw  out 
my  skiff,  and  with  ax 
and  gun  landed  at 
the  head  of  the  cove, 
and  filled  a  barrel  of 
water  from  a  stream. 
Then,  as  before,  there 
was  no  sign  of  Indians  at  the  place.  Finding  it 
quite  deserted,  I  rambled  about  near  the  beach  for 
an  hour  or  more.  The  fine  weather  seemed,  some- 
how, to  add  loneliness  to  the  place,  and  when  I 
came  upon  a  spot  where  a  grave  was  marked  I 
went  no  farther.  Eeturning  to  the  head  of  the 
cove,  I  came  to  a  sort  of  Calvary,  it  appeared  to 


Becords  of  passages  through  the 
strait  at  the  head  of  Borgia  Bay. 

Hon.—  On  s  natXX  bnab  nearer  the  water  there  wm  » 
board  beartnf  leTersI  other  iiiscriptioni,  to  which 
were  added  tbe  wordi  "Sloop  Sfray,  March,  189&" 


A  RECORD  OP  VOYAGES  THROUGH  THE  STRAIT      123 


would 
on  the 
avages 
Island, 
d-bank 
;  across 
cleared 
I  night 
nly  as 
nearly 
moun- 
)red  in 
ahead, 
ly  sail- 
with 
was  as 
^n   the 

being 
5W  out 
rith  ax 
ed  at 
)  cove, 
Tel  of 
ream. 
,  there 
ing  it 
ch  for 
some- 
hen  I 
ked  I 
►f  the 
•ed  to 


me,  where  navigators,  carrying  their  cross,  had 
each  set  one  up  as  a  beacon  to  others  coming 
after.  They  had  anchored  here  and  gone  on,  all 
except  the  one  under  the  little  mound.  One  of 
the  simple  marks,  curiously  enough,  had  been  left 
there  by  the  steamship  Colimbia,  sister  ship  to  the 
Colomhiay  my  neighbor  of  that  morning. 

I  read  the  names  of  many  other  vessels ;  some  of 
them  I  copied  in  my  journal,  others  were  illegible. 
Many  of  the  crosses  had  decayed  and  fallen,  and 
many  a  hand  that  put  them  there  I  had  known, 
many  a  hand  now  still.  The  air  of  depression  was 
about  the  place,  and  I  hurried  back  to  the  sloop  to 
forget  myself  again  in  the  voyage. 

Early  the  next  morning  I  stood  out  from  Borgia 
Bay,  and  off  Cape  Quod,  where  the  wind  fell  light, 
I  moored  the  sloop  by  kelp  in  twenty  fathoms  of 
water,  and  held  her  there  a  few  hours  against  a 
three-knot  current.  That  night  I  anchored  in 
Langara  Cove,  a  few  miles  farther  along,  where  on 
the  following  day  I  discovered  wreckage  and  goods 
washed  up  from  the  sea.  I  worked  all  day  now, 
salving  and  boating  off  a  cargo  to  the  sloop.  The 
bulk  of  the  goods  was  tallow  in  casks  and  in  lumps 
from  which  the  casks  had  broken  away;  and  em- 
bedded in  the  seaweed  was  a  barrel  of  wine,  which 
I  also  towed  alongside.  I  hoisted  them  all  in  with 
the  throat-halyards,  which  I  took  to  the  windlass. 
The  weight  of  some  of  the  casks  was  a  little  over 
eight  hundred  pounds. 

There  were  no  Indians  about  Langara ;  evidently 
there  had  not  been  any  since  the  great  gale  which 
had  washed  tho  wreckage  on  shore.    Probably  it 


} 

I] 


4i 

Hi 


1  .ft-L 

'f 
'ill 

■ik 

: 

H 


M 


!  i 


..-J 


~1 


bi) 
ce 
M 

a 

> 


A  CHANCE  CARGO  OF  TALLOW 


126 


was  the  same  gale  that  drove  the  Spray  off  Cape 
Horn,  from  March  3  to  8.  Hundreds  of  tons  of 
kelp  had  been  torn  from  beds  in  deep  water  and 
rolled  up  into  ridges  on  the  beach.  A  specimen 
stalk  which  I  found  entire,  roots,  leaves,  and  all, 
measured  one  hundred  and  thirty-one  feet  in 
length.  At  this  place  I  filled  a  barrel  of  water  at 
night,  and  on  the  following  day  sailed  with  a  fair 
wind  at  last. 

I  had  not  sailed  far,  however,  when  I  came 
abreast  of  more  tallow  in  a  small  cove,  where  I 
anchored,  and  boated  off  as  before.  It  rained  and 
snowed  hard  all  that  day,  and  it  was  no  light  work 
carrying  tallow  in  my  arms  over  the  boulders  on 
the  beach.  But  I  worked  on  till  the  Spray  was 
loaded  with  a  full  cargo.  I  was  happy  then  in  the 
prospect  of  doing  a  good  business  farther  along  on 
the  voyage,  for  the  habits  of  an  old  trader  would 
come  to  the  surface.  I  sailed  from  the  cove  about 
noon,  greased  from  top  to  toe,  while  my  vessel  was 
tallowed  from  keelson  to  truck.  My  cabin,  as  well 
as  the  hold  and  deck,  was  stowed  full  of  tallow, 
and  all  were  thoroughly  smeared. 


I 


m 


•lit 


111 


CHAPTER  X 

Running  to  Port  Angosto  in  a  snow-storm — A  defective  sheet- 
rope  places  the  Upray  in  peril  —  The  Spray  as  a  target  for  a  Fue- 
gian  arrow  —  The  island  of  Alan  Erric  —  Again  in  the  open 
Pacific  —  The  run  to  the  island  of  Juan  Fernandez — An  ab- 
sentee king — At  Robinson  Crusoe's  anchorage. 


ANliTHER  gale  had  then  sprung  up,  but  the 
Jl\.  wind  was  still  fair,  and  I  had  only  twenty-six 
miles  to  run  for  Port  Angosto,  a  dreary  enough 
place,  where,  however,  I  would  find  a  safe  harbor  in 
which  to  refit  and  stow  cargo.  I  carried  on  sail  to 
make  the  harbor  before  dark,  and  she  fairly  flew 
along,  ajl  covered  with  snow,  which  fell  thick 
and  fasit,  til.  she  looked  like  a  white  winter  bird. 
Between  the  storm-bursts  I  saw  the  headland  of 
my  port,  and  was  steering  for  it  when  a  flaw  of 
wind  caught  the  mainsail  by  the  lee,  jibed  it  over, 
and  dear !  dear !  how  nearly  was  this  the  cause  of 
disaster;  for  the  sheet  parted  and  the  boom  un- 
shipped, and  it  was  then  close  upon  night.  I 
worked  till  the  perspiration  poured  from  my  body 
to  get  things  adjusted  and  in  working  order  before 
dark,  and,  above  all,  to  get  it  done  before  the  sloop 
drove  to  leeward  of  the  port  of  refuge.  Even  then 
I  did  not  get  the  boom  shipped  in  its  saddle.  I 
was  at  the  entrance  of  the  harbor  before  I  could 

180 


A  DEFECTIVE  SHEET-ROPE 


127 


ve  sheet- 
:or  a  Fue- 
the  open 
—  An  ab- 


but  the 
snty-six 
enough 
^rbor  in 
sail  to 
ly  flew 
I  thick 
)r  bird, 
land  of 
flaw  of 
it  over, 
ause  of 


3m  un- 
ght.  I 
y  body 
before 
e  sloop 
m  then 
die.  I 
could 


get  this  done,  and  it  was  time  to  haul  her  to  or  lose 
the  port;  but  in  that  condition,  like  a  bird  with 
a  broken  wing,  she  made  the  haven.  The  accident 
which  so  jeopardized  my  vessel  and  cargo  came 
of  a  defective  sheet-rope,  one  made  from  sisal,  a 
treacherous  fiber  which  has  caused  a  deal  of  strong 
language  among  sailors. 

I  did  not  run  the  Spray  into  the  inner  harbor  of 
Port  Angosto,  but  came  to  inside  a  bed  of  kelp 
under  a  steep  bluff  on  the  port  hand  going  in.  It 
was  an  exceedingly  snug  nook,  and  to  make  doubly 
sure  of  holding  on  here  against  all  williwaws  I 
moored  her  with  two  anchors  and  secured  her, 
besides,  by  cables  to  trees.  However,  no  wind 
ever  reached  there  except  back  flaws  from  the 
mountains  on  the  opposite  side  oi  the  harbor. 
There,  as  elsewhere  in  that  region,  the  country  was 
made  up  of  mountains.  This  was  the  place  where 
I  was  to  refit  and  whence  I  was  to  sail  direct,  once 
more,  for  Cape  Pillar  and  the  Pacific. 

I  remained  at  Port  Angosto  some  daj^s,  busily 
employed  about  the  sloop.  I  stowed  the  tallow 
from  the  deck  to  the  hold,  arranged  my  cabin  in 
better  order,  and  took  in  a  good  supply  of  wood 
and  water.  I  also  mended  the  sloop's  sails  and  rig- 
ging, and  fitted  a  jigger,  which  changed  the  rig  to 
a  yawl,  though  I  called  the  boat  a  sloop  just  the 
same,  the  jigger  being  merely  a  temporary  affair. 

I  never  forgot,  even  at  the  busiest  time  of  my 
work  there,  to  have  my  rifle  by  me  ready  for  in- 
stant use;  for  I  was  of  necessity  within  range  of 
savages,  and  I  had  seen  Fuegian  canoes  at  this 
place  when  I  anchored  in  the  port,  farther  down 


!•« 


<«  I' 


% 


n 


128 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


I   M 


If 


the  reach,  on  the  first  trip  through  the  strait.  I 
think  it  was  on  the  second  day,  while  I  was  busily 
employed  about  decks,  that  I  heard  the  swish  of 
something  through  the  air  close  by  my  ear,  and 
heard  a  "zip ''-like  sound  in  the  water,  but  saw 
nothing.  Presently,  however,  I  suspected  that  it 
was  an  arrow  of  some  sort,  for  just  then  one  pass- 
ing not  far  from  me  struck  the  mainmast,  where  it 
stuck  fast,  vibrating  from  the  shock  —  a  Fuegian 
autograph.  A  savage  was  somewhere  near,  there 
could  be  no  doubt  about  that.  I  did  not  know  but 
he  might  be  shooting  at  me,  with  a  view  to  getting 
my  sloop  and  her  cargo ;  and  so  I  threw  up  my  old 
Martini-Henry,  the  rifle  that  kept  on  shooting,  and 
the  first  shot  uncovered  three  Fuegians,  who  scam- 
pered from  a  clump  of  bushes  where  they  had  been 
concealed,  and  made  over  the  hills.  I  fired  away  a 
good  many  cartridges,  aiming  under  their  feet  to 
encourage  their  climbing.  My  dear  old  gun  woke 
up  the  hills,  and  at  every  report  all  three  of  the 
savages  jumped  as  if  shot ;  but  they  kept  on,  and 
put  Fuego  real  estate  between  themselves  and  the 
Spray  as  fast  as  their  legs  could  carry  them.  I 
took  care  then,  more  than  ever  before,  that  all  my 
firearms  should  be  in  order  and  that  a  supply  of 
ammunition  should  always  be  ready  at  hand.  But 
the  savages  did  not  return,  and  although  I  put 
tacks  on  deck  every  night,  I  never  discovered  that 
any  more  visitors  came,  and  I  had  only  to  sweep 
the  deck  of  tacks  carefully  every  morning  after. 

As  the  days  went  by,  the  season  became  more 
favorable  for  a  chance  to  clear  the  strait  with  a 
fair  wind,  and  so  I  made  up  my  mind  after  six 


THE  "SPRAY"  A  TARGET  FC^  FUEGIAN  ARROWS    129 


ait.    I 
busily 
ish  of 
,r,  and 
it  saw 
that  it 
3  pass- 
here  it 
uegian 
,  there 
Dw  but 
jetting 
my  old 
ig,  and 
scam- 
d  been 
away  a 
feet  to 
1  woke 
of  the 
n,  and 
nd  the 
em.    I 
all  my 
ply  of 
But 
I  put 
d  that 
sweep 
ter. 
more 
with  a 
er  six 


*""^;j4-i 


•'  The  first  shot  uncovered  three  Fuegians." 

attempts,  being  driven  back  each  time,  to  be  in 
no  further  haste  to  sail.  The  bad  weather  on  my 
last  return  to  Port  Angosto  for  shelter  brought  the 
Chilean  gunboat  Condor  and  the  Argentine  cruiser 


^f. 


!fH 


»!•... 


130 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


H 


Azopa/rdo  into  port.  As  soon  as  the  latter  came  to 
anchor,  Captain  Mascarella,  the  commander,  sent  a 
boat  to  the  Spray  with  the  message  that  he  would 
take  me  in  tow  for  Sandy  Point  if  I  would  give  up 
the  voyage  and  return  —  the  thing  farthest  from 
my  mind.  The  officers  of  the  Azopardo  told  me 
that,  coming  up  the  strait  after  the  Spray  on  her 
first  passage  through,  they  saw  Black  Pedro  and 
learned  that  ^e  had  visited  me.  The  Azopardo, 
being  a  foreign  man-of-war,  hat  no  right  to  arrest 
the  Fuegian  outlaw,  but  her  captain  blamed  me  for 
not  shooting  the  rascal  when  he  came  to  my  sloop. 

I  procured  some  cordage  and  other  sr  all  sup- 
plies from  these  vessels,  and  the  officers  of  each  of 
them  mustered  a  supply  of  warm  flannels,  of  which 
I  was  most  in  need.  With  these  additions  to  my 
outfit,  and  with  the  vessel  in  good  trim,  though 
somewhat  deeply  laden,  I  was  well  prepared  for 
another  bout  with  the  Southern,  misnamed  Pacific, 
Ocean. 

In  the  first  week  in  April  southeast  winds,  such 
as  appear  about  Cape  Horn  in  the  fall  and  winter 
seasons,  bringing  better  weather  than  that  experi- 
enced in  the  summer,  began  to  disturb  the  upper 
clouds ;  a  little  more  patience,  and  the  time  would 
come  for  sailing  with  a  fair  wind. 

At  Port  Angosto  I  met  Professor  Dusen  of  the 
Swedish  scientific  expedition  to  South  America 
and  the  Pacific  Islands.  The  professor  was  camped 
by  the  side  of  a  brook  at  the  head  of  the  harbor, 
where  there  were  many  varieties  of  moss,  in  which 
he  was  interested,  and  where  the  water  was,  as  his 
Argentine  cook  said,  "muy  rico."    The  professor 


THE  "SPB\Y»  AT  PORT  ANQOSTO 


131 


ame  to 
sent  a 
would 
:ive  up 
fc  from 
)ld  me 
on  her 
ro  and 
jpardo, 
arrest 
me  for 
sloop. 
II  sup- 
lach  of 
which 
to  my 
hough 
3d  for 
*acific, 

,  such 
jvinter 
xperi- 
upper 
would 

of  the 
aerica 
mped 
irbor, 
prhich 
as  his 
'essor 


had  three  well-armed  Argentines  along  in  his  camp 
to  fight  savages.  They  seemed  disgusted  when  I 
filled  water  at  a  small  stream  near  the  vessel,  slight- 
ing their  advice  to  go  farther  up  to  the  greater 
brook,  where  it  was  '*  muy  rico."  But  they  were  all 
fine  fellows,  though  it  was  a  wonder  that  they  did 
not  all  die  of  rheumatic  pains  from  living  on  wet 
ground. 

Of  all  the  little  haps  and  mishaps  to  the  Spray  at 
Port  Angostc^  of  the  many  attempts  to  put  to  sea, 
and  of  each  return  for  shelter,  it  is  not  my  purpose 
to  speak.  Of  hindrances  there  were  many  to  keep 
her  back,  but  on  '^.he  thirteenth  day  of  April,  and  for 
the  seventh  and  last  time,  she  weighed  anchor  from 
that  port.  Difficulties,  however,  multiplied  all 
about  in  so  strange  a  manner  that  had  I  been  given 
to  superstitious  fears  I  should  not  have  persisted 
in  sailing  on  a  thirteenth  day,  notwithstanding 
that  a  fair  wind  blew  in  the  offing.  Many  of  the 
incidents  were  ludicrous.  When  I  found  myself, 
for  instance,  disentangling  the  sloop's  mast  from 
the  branches  of  a  tree  after  she  had  drifted  three 
times  around  a  small  island,  against  my  will,  it 
seemed  more  than  one's  nerves  could  bear,  and  I 
had  to  speak  about  it,  so  I  thought,  or  die  of  lock- 
jaw, and  I  apostrophized  the  Spray  as  an  impatient 
farmer  might  his  horse  or  his  ox.  "Did  n  ■  you 
know,''  cried  I  — "  did  n't  you  know  that  you 
could  n't  climb  a  tree ! "  But  the  poor  old  Spray 
had  essayed,  and  successfully  too,  nearly  every- 
thing else  in  the  Strait  of  Magellan,  and  my  heart 
softened  toward  her  when  I  thought  of  what  she 
had  gone  through.    Moreover^  she  had  discovered 


n 
i 


r 


ill 
11 


132 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


an  island.  On  the  charts  this  one  that  she  had 
sailed  around  was  traced  as  a  point  of  land.  I 
named  it  Alan  Erric  Island,  after  a  worthy  literary- 
friend  whom  I  had  met  in  strange  by-places,  and  I 
put  up  a  sign,  "  Keep  off  the  grass,''  which,  as  dis- 
coverer, was  within  my  rights. 

Now  at  last  the  Spray  carried  me  free  of  Tierra 
del  Fuego.  If  by  a  close  shave  only,  still  she  car- 
ried me  clear,  though  her  boom  actually  hit  the 
beacon  rocks  to  leeward  as  she  lugged  on  sail  to 
clear  the  point.  The  thing  was  done  on  the  13th 
of  April,  1896.  But  a  close  shave  and  a  narrow 
escape  were  nothing  new  to  the  Spray, 

The  waves  doffed  their  white  caps  beautifully  to 
her  in  the  strait  that  day  before  the  southeast 
wind,  the  first  true  winter  breeze  of  the  season 
from  that  quarter,  and  here  she  was  out  on  the 
first  of  it,  with  every  prospect  of  clearing  Cape 
Pillar  before  it  should  shift.  So  it  turned  out; 
the  wind  blew  hard,  as  it  always  blows  about  Cape 
Horn,  but  she  had  cleared  the  great  tide-race  off 
Cape  Pillar  and  the  Evangelistas,  the  outermost 
rocks  of  all,  before  the  change  came.  I  remained 
at  the  helm,  humoring  my  vessel  in  the  cross  seas, 
for  it  was  rough,  and  I  did  not  dare  to  let  her  take 
a  straight  course.  It  was  necessary  to  change  her 
course  in  the  combing  seas,  to  meet  them  with 
what  skill  I  could  when  they  rolled  up  ahead,  and 
to  keep  off  when  they  came  up  abeam. 

On  the  following  morning,  April  14,  only  the 
tops  of  the  highest  mountains  were  in  sight,  and 
the  Spray,  making  good  headway  on  a  northwest 
course,  soon  sank  these  out  of  sight.    "  Hurrah  for 


AGAIN  IN  THE  OPEN  PACIFIC 


133 


take 
her 

with 
and 


the  Spray  / "  I  shouted  to  seals,  sea-gulls,  and  pen- 
guins; for  there  were  no  other  living  creatures 
about,  and  she  had  weathered  all  the  dangers  of 
Cape  Horn.  Moreover,  she  had  on  her  voyage 
round  the  Horn  salved  a  cargo  of  which  she  had 
not  jettisoned  a  pound.  And  why  should  not  one 
rejoice  also  in  the  main  chance  coming  so  of  itself  t 

I  shook  out  a  reef,  and  set  the  whole  jib,  for, 
having  sea-room,  I  could  square  away  two  points. 
This  brought  the  sea  more  on  her  quarter,  and  she 
was  the  wholesomer  under  a  press  of  sail.  Occa- 
sionally an  old  southwest  sea,  rolling  up,  combed 
athwart  her,  but  did  no  harm.  The  wind  freshened 
as  the  sun  rose  half-mast  or  more,  and  the  air,  a  bit 
chilly  in  the  morning,  softened  later  in  the  day ; 
but  I  gave  little  thought  to  such  things  as  these. 

One  wave,  in  the  evening,  larger  than  others  that 
had  threatened  all  day, —  one  such  as  sailors  call 
"fine- weather  seas," — broke  over  the  sloop  fore 
and  aft.  It  washed  over  me  at  the  helm,  the  last 
that  swept  over  the  Spray  off  Cape  Horn.  It 
seemed  to  wash  away  old  regrets.  All  my  troubles 
were  now  astern ;  summer  was  ahead ;  all  the  world 
was  again  before  me.  The  wind  was  even  liter- 
ally fair.  My  "  trick  "  at  the  wheel  was  now  up, 
and  it  was  5  p.  M.  I  had  stood  at  the  helm  since 
eleven  o'clock  the  morning  before,  or  thirty  hours. 

Then  was  the  time  to  uncover  my  head,  for  I 
sailed  alone  with  God.  The  vast  ocean  was  again 
around  me,  and  the  horizon  was  unbroken  by  land. 
A  few  days  later  the  Spray  was  under  full  sail,  and 
I  saw  her  for  the  first  time  with  a  jigger  spread. 
This  was  indeed  a  small  incident,  but  it  was  the 


k 


I 


JS 


134 


SAILING  ALONE  ABOUND  THE  WORLD 


incident  following  a  triumph.  The  wind  was  still 
southwest,  but  it  had  moderated,  and  roaring  seas 
had  turned  to  gossiping  waves  that  rippled  and 
pattered  against  her  sides  as  she  rolled  among 
them,  delighted  with  their  story.  Eapid  changes 
went  on,  those  days,  in  things  all  about  while  she 
headed  for  the  tropics.  New  species  of  birds  came 
around;  albatrosses  fell  back  and  became  scarcer 
and  scarcer ;  lighter  gulls  came  in  their  stead,  and 
pecked  for  crumbs  in  the  sloop's  wake. 

On  the  tenth  day  from  Cape  Pillar  a  shark  came 
along,  the  first  of  its  kind  on  this  part  of  the  voy- 
age to  get  into  trouble.  I  harpooned  him  and  took 
out  his  ugly  jaws.  I  had  not  till  then  felt  inclined 
to  take  the  life  of  any  animal,  but  when  John 
Shark  hove  in  sight  my  sympathy  flew  to  the 
winds.  It  is  a  fact  that  in  Magellan  I  let  pass 
many  ducks  that  would  have  made  a  good  stew, 
for  I  had  no  mind  in  the  lonesome  strait  to  take 
the  life  of  any  living  thing. 

From  Cape  Pillar  I  steered  for  Juan  Fernandez, 
and  on  the  26th  of  April,  fifteen  days  out,  made 
that  historic  island  right  ahead. 

The  blue  hills  of  Juan  Fernandez,  high  among 
the  clouds,  could  be  seen  about  thirty  miles  off. 
A  thousand  emotions  thrilled  me  when  I  saw  the 
island,  and  I  bowed  my  head  to  the  deck.  We 
may  mock  the  Oriental  salaam,  but  for  my  part  I 
could  find  no  other  way  of  expressing  myself. 

The  wind  being  light  through  the  day,  the  Spray 
did  not  reach  the  island  till  night.  With  what  wind 
there  was  to  fill  her  sails  she  stood  close  in  to  shore 
on  the  northeast  side,  where  it  fell  calm  and  remained 


THE  RUN  TO  JUAN  FERNANDEZ 


135 


SO  all  night.  I  saw  the  twinkling  of  a  small  light 
farther  along  in  a  cove,  and  fired  a  gun,  but  got  no 
answer,  and  soon  the  light  disappeared  altogether. 
I  heard  the  sea  booming  against  the  cliffs  all 
night,  and  realized  that  the  ocoan  swell  was  still 


The  Spray  approaching 
Juan  Fernandez,  Rob- 
inson Crusoe's  Island. 


great,  although  from  the  deck 
of  my  little  ship  it  was  appa- 
rently small.  From  the  cry  of 
animals  in  the  hills,  which 
sounded  fainter  and  fainter 
through  the  night,  I  judged 
that  a  light  current  was  drift- 
ing the  sloop  from  the  land, 
though  she  seemed  all  night 
dangerously  near  the  shore,  for,  the  land  being  very 
high,  appearances  were  deceptive. 

Soon  after  daylight  I  saw  a  boat  putting  out 
toward  me.  As  it  pulled  near,  it  so  happened  that 
I  picked  up  my  gun,  which  was  on  the  deck,  mean- 
ing only  to  put  it  below;  but  the  people  in  the 
boat,  seeing  the  piece  in  my  hands,  quickly  turned 
and  pulled  back  for  shore,  which  was  about  four 
miles  distant.  There  were  six  rowers  in  her,  and  I 
observed  that  they  pulled  with  oars  in  oar-locks. 


9 


It'. , 


136 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


after  the  manner  of  trained  seamen,  and  so  I  knew 
they  belonged  to  a  civilized  race ;  but  their  opinion 
of  me  must  have  been  anything  but  flattering 
when  they  mistook  my  purpose  with  the  gun  and 
pulled  away  with  all  their  might.  I  made  them 
understand  by  signs,  but  not  without  difficulty, 
that  I  did  not  intend  to  shoot,  that  I  was  simply 
putting  the  piece  in  the  cabin,  and  that  I  wished 
them  to  return.  When  they  understood  my  mean- 
ing they  came  back  and  were  soon  on  board. 

One  of  the  party,  whom  the  rest  called  "  king," 
spoke  English;  the  others  spoke  Spanish.  They 
had  all  heard  of  the  voyage  of  the  Spray  through 
the  papers  of  Valparaiso,  and  were  hungry  for 
news  concerning  it.  They  told  me  of  a  war  be- 
tween Chile  and  the  Argentine,  which  I  had  not 
heard  of  when  I  was  there.  I  had  just  visited  both 
countries,  and  I  told  them  that  according  to  the 
latest  reports,  while  I  was  in  Chile,  their  own 
island  was  sunk.  (This  same  report  that  Juan 
Fernandez  had  sunk  was  current  in  Australia 
when  I  arrived  there  three  months  later.) 

I  had  already  prepared  a  pot  of  coffee  and  a 
plate  of  doughnuts,  which,  after  some  words  of 
civility,  the  islanders  stood  up  to  and  discussed 
with  a  will,  after  which  they  took  the  Spray  in 
tow  of  their  boat  and  made  toward  the  island 
with  her  at  the  rate  of  a  good  three  knots.  The 
man  they  called  king  took  the  helm,  and  with 
whirling  it  up  and  down  he  so  rattled  the  Spray 
that  I  thought  she  would  never  carry  herself 
straight  again.  The  others  pulled  away  lustily 
with  their  oars.     The  king,  I  soon  learned,  was 


I 


AT  ROBINSON  CEUfaOE'S  ANCHORAGE 


137 


king  only  by  courtesy.  Having  lived  longer  on 
the  island  than  any  other  man  in  the  world, — 
thirty  years, —  he  was  so  dubbed.  Juan  Fernan- 
dez was  then  under  the  administration  of  a  gover- 
nor of  Swedish  nobility,  so  I  was  told.  I  was  also 
told  that  his  daughter  could  ride  the  wildest  goat 
on  the  island.  The  governor,  at  the  time  of  my 
visit,  was  away  at  Valparaiso  with  his  family,  to 
place  his  children  at  school.  The  king  had  been 
away  once  for  a  year  or  two,  and  in  Rio  de  Ja- 
neiro had  married  a  Brazilian  woman  who  followed 
his  fortunes  to  the  far-off  island.  He  was  himself 
a  Portuguese  and  a  native  of  the  Azores.  He  had 
sailed  in  New  Bedford  whale-ships  and  had  steered 
a  boat.  All  this  I  learned,  and  more  too,  before  we 
reached  the  anchorage.  The  sea-breeze,  coming  in 
before  long,  filled  the  Spray^s  sails,  and  the  ex- 
perienced Portuguese  mariner  piloted  her  to  a  safe 
berth  in  the  bay,  where  she  was  moored  to  »  buoy 
abreast  the  settlement. 


14'  'I 


I 


«  ■ 

3^ 


CHAPTER  XI 


The  islanders  at  Juan  Fernandez  entertained  with  Yankee  dough- 
nuts—  The  beauties  of  Robinson  Crusoe's  realm — The  mountain 
monument  to  Alexander  Selkirk  —  Robinson  Crusoe's  cave  —  A 
stroll  with  the  children  of  the  island — Westward  bo!  with  a 
friendly  gale— A  month's  free  sailing  with  the  Southern  Cross 
and  the  sun  for  guides — Sighting  the  Marquesas  —  Experience  in 
reckoning. 

THE  Spray  being  secured,  the  islanders  returned 
to  the  coffee  and  doughnuts,  and  I  was  more 
than  flattered  when  they  did  not  slight  my  buns,  as 
the  professor  had  done  in  the  Strait  of  Magellan. 
Between  buns  and  doughnuts  there  was  little 
difference  except  in  name.  Both  had  been  fried 
in  tallow,  which  was  the  strong  point  in  both,  for 
there  was  nothing  on  the  island  fatter  than  a  goat, 
and  a  goat  is  but  a  lean  beast,  to  make  the  best  of 
it.  So  with  a  view  to  business  I  hooked  my  steel- 
yards to  the  boom  at  once,  ready  to  weigh  out 
tallow,  there  being  no  customs  officer  to  say,  "  Why 
do  you  do  so ! "  and  before  the  sun  went  down  the 
islanders  had  learned  the  art  of  making  buns  and 
doughnuts.  I  did  not  charge  a  high  price  for  what 
I  sold,  but  the  ancient  and  curious  coins  I  got  in 
payment,  some  of  them  from  the  wreck  of  a  galleon 
sunk  in  the  bay  no  one  knows  when,  I  sold  after- 
ward to  antiquarians  for  more  than  face-value. 
In  this  way  I  made  a  reasonable  profit.    I  brought 

138 


BEAUTIES  OP  ROBINSON  CRUSOE'S  REALM   139 

away  money  of  all  denominations  from  the  island, 
and  nearly  all  there  was,  so  far  as  I  could  find 

out. 
Juan  Fernandez,  as  a  place  of  call,  is  a  lovely 

spot.    The  hills  are  well  wooded,  the  valleys  fer- 


dough- 
Duntain 
ive — A 
with  a 
Q  Cross 
ience  in 


urned 

more 

ins,  as 


The  house  of  the  king. 

tile,  and  pouring  down  through  many  ravines  are 
streams  of  pure  water.  There  are  no  serpents  on 
the  island,  and  no  wild  beasts  other  than  pigs  and 
goats,  of  which  I  saw  a  number,  with  possibly  a 
dog  or  two.  The  people  lived  without  the  use  of 
rum  or  beer  of  any  sort.  There  was  not  a  police 
ofiScer  or  a  lawyer  among  them.  The  domestic 
economy  of  the  island  was  simplicity  itself.  The 
fashions  of  Paris  did  not  affect  the  inhabitants; 
each  dressed  according  to  his  own  taste.  Although 
there  was  no  doctor,  the  people  were  all  healthy, 


s 

li 

'3 


11 
hi 

H 

H 


i 


140 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


I 


and  the  children  were  all  beautiful.  There  were 
about  forty-five  souls  on  the  island  all  told.  The 
adults  were  mostly  from  the  mainland  of  South 


I!  • 


Robinson  Crusoe's  cave. 

America.  One  lady  there,  from  Chile,  who  made  a 
flying-jib  for  the  Spray,  taking  her  pay  in  tallow, 
would  be  called  a  belle  at  Newport.  Blessed  island 
of  Juan  Fernandez  I  Why  Alexander  Selkirk  ever 
left  you  was  more  than  I  could  make  out. 

A  large  ship  which  had  arrived  some  time  be- 
fore, on  fire,  had  been  stranded  at  the  head  of  the 
bay,  and  as  the  sea  smashed  her  to  pieces  on  tLa 
rocks,  after  the  fire  was  drowned,  the  islanders 
picked  up  the  timbers  and  utilized  them  in  the 


MONUMENT  TO  ALEXANDER  SELKIRK 


141 


construction  of  houses,  which  naturally  presented 
a  ship-like  appearance.  The  house  of  the  king  of 
Juan  Fernandez,  Manuel  Carroza  by  name,  besides 
resembling  the  ark,  wore  a  polished  brass  knocker 
on  its  only  door,  which  was  painted  green.  In 
front  of  this  gorgeous  entrance  was  a  flag-mast  all 
ataunto,  and  near  it  a  smart  whale-boat  painted 
red  and  blue,  the  delight  of  the  king^s  old  age. 

I  of  course  made  a  pilgrimage  to  the  old  lookout 
place  at  the  top  of  the  mountain,  where  Selkirk 
spent  many  days  peering  into  the  distance  for 
the  ship  which  came  at  last.  From  a  tablet  fixed 
into  the  face  of  the  rock  I  copied  these  words,  in- 
scribed in  Arabic  capitals : 

IN  MEMORY 


m 


•1 


the 


OP 

ALEXANDER  SELKIRK, 

MARINER, 

A  native  of  Largo,  in  the  county  of  Fife,  Scotland,  who  lived 
on  this  island  in  complete  solitude  for  four  years  and  four 
months.  He  was  landed  from  the  Cinque  Ports  galley,  96  tons, 
18  guns,  A.  D.  1704,  and  was  taken  off  in  the  Duke,  privateer, 
12th  February,  1709.  He  died  Lieutenant  of  H.  M.  S.  Wey- 
mouthy  A.  D.  1723,1  aged  47.  This  tablet  is  erected  near  Sel- 
kirk's lookout,  by  Commodore  Powell  and  the  ofl&cers  ot 
H.  M.  S.  Topaz€y  A.  D.  1868. 

The  cave  in  which  Selkirk  dwelt  while  on  the 
island  is  at  the  head  of  the  bay  now  called  Eobin- 

iMr.  J.  Cuthbert  Hadden,  In  the  "Century  Magazine"  for  July,  1899, 
Bhows  that  the  tablet  is  in  error  as  to  the  year  of  Selkirk's  death.  II 
•hould  be  1721. 


I 


•# 


142 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


'> 


son  Crusoe  Bay.  It  is  around  a  bold  headland 
west  of  the  present  anchorage  and  landing.  Ships 
have  anchored  there,  but  it  affords  a  very  indiffer- 
ent berth.  Both  of  these  anchorages  are  exposed 
to  north  winds,  which,  however,  do  not  reach  home 
with  much  violence.  The  holding-giound  being 
good  in  the  first-named  bay  to  the  eastward,  the 
anchorage  there  may  be  considered  safe,  although 
the  undertow  at  times  makes  it  wild  riding. 

I  visited  Robinson  Crusoe  Bay  in  a  boat,  and 
with  some  difficulty  landed  through  the  surf  near 
the  cave,  which  I  entered.  I  found  it  dry  and  in- 
habitable. It  is  located  in  a  beautiful  nook  shel- 
tered by  high  mountains  from  all  the  severe  storms 
that  sweep  over  the  island,  which  are  not  many; 
for  it  lies  near  the  limits  of  the  trade-wind  regions, 
being  in  latitude  35 J  °  S.  The  island  is  about  four- 
teen miles  in  length,  east  and  west,  and  eight  miles 
in  width;  its  height  is  over  three  thousand  feet. 
Its  distance  from  Chile,  to  which  country  it  be- 
longs, is  about  three  hundred  and  forty  miles. 

Juan  Fernandez  was  once  a  convict  station.  A 
number  of  caves  in  which  the  prisoners  were  kept, 
damp,  unwholesome  dens,  are  no  longer  in  use,  and 
no  more  prisoners  are  sent  to  the  island. 

The  pleasantest  day  I  spent  on  the  island,  if  not 
the  pleasantest  on  my  whole  voyage,  was  my  last 
day  on  shore, —  but  by  no  means  because  it  was  the 
last, —  when  the  children  of  the  little  community, 
one  and  all,  went  out  with  me  to  gather  wild  fruits 
for  the  voyage.  We  found  quinces,  peaches,  and 
figs,  and  the  children  gathered  a  basket  of  each. 
It  takes  very  little  to  please  children,  and  these 


A  STROLL  WITH  THE  CHILDREN 


143 


The  man  who  called  a  cabra  a  goat. 

little  ones,  never  hearing  a  word  in  their  lives 
except  Spanish,  made  the  hills  ring  with  mirth 
at  the  sound  of  words  in  English.  They  asked 
mo  the  names  of  all  manner  of  things  on  the  island. 
We  came  to  a  wild  fig-tree  loaded  with  fruit,  of 
which  I  gave  them  the  English  name.  "  Figgies, 
figgies ! "  they  cried,  while  they  picked  till  their 
baskets  were  full.    But  when  I  told  them  that  the 


I 


:i  M 


'i 

I 


144 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


|i  ; 


Hi 


cobra  they  pointed  out  was  only  a  goat,  they 
screamed  with  laughter,  and  rolled  on  the  grass  in 
wild  delight  to  think  that  a  man  had  come  to  their 
island  who  would  call  a  cabra  a  goat. 

The  first  child  born  on  Juan  Fernandez,  I  was 
told,  had  become  a  beautiful  woman  and  was  now 
a  mother.  Manuel  Carroza  and  the  good  soul  who 
followed  him  here  from  Brazil  had  laid  away  their 
only  child,  a  girl,  at  the  age  of  seven,  in  the  little 
churchyard  on  the  point.  In  the  same  half-acre 
were  other  mounds  among  the  rough  lava  rocks, 
some  marking  the  burial-place  of  native-born  chil- 
dren, some  the  resting-places  of  seamen  from  pass- 
ing ships,  landed  here  to  end  days  of  sickness  and 
get  into  a  sailors'  heaven. 

The  greatest  drawback  I  saw  in  the  island  was 
the  want  of  a  school.  A  class  there  would  neces- 
sarily be  small,  but  to  some  kind  soul  who  loved 
teaching  and  quietude  life  on  Juan  Fernandez 
would,  for  a  limited  time,  be  one  of  delight. 

On  the  morning  of  May  5,  1896,  I  sailed  from 
Juan  Fernandez,  having  feasted  on  many  things, 
but  on  nothing  sweeter  than  the  adventure  itself 
of  a  visit  to  the  home  and  to  the  very  cave  of  Rob- 
inson Crusoe.  From  the  island  the  Spray  bore  away 
to  the  north,  passing  the  island  of  St.  Felix  before 
she  gained  the  trade-winds,  which  seemed  slow  in 
reaching  their  limits. 

If  the  trades  were  tardy,  however,  when  they  did 
come  they  came  with  a  bang,  and  made  up  for  lost 
time ;  and  the  Spray,  under  reefs,  sometimes  one, 
sometimes  two,  flew  before  a  gale  for  a  great  many 
days,  with  a  bone  in  her  mouth,  toward  the  Mar- 


A  MONTH'S  FREE  SAIUNG 


145 


quesas,  in  the  west,  which  she  made  on  the  forty- 
third  day  out,  and  still  kept  on  sailing.  My  time 
was  all  taken  up  those  days  —  not  by  standing  at 
the  helm ;  nc  man,  I  think,  could  stand  or  sit  and 
steer  a  vessel  round  the  world :  I  did  better  than 
that;  for  I  sat  and  read  my  books,  mended  my 
clothes,  or  cooked  my  meals  and  ate  them  in  peace. 
I  had  already  found  that  it  was  not  good  to  be 
alone,  and  so  I  made  companionship  with  what 
there  was  around  me,  sometimes  with  the  universe 
and  sometimes  with  my  own  insignificant  self ;  but 
my  books  w^re  always  my  friends,  let  fail  all  else. 
Nothing  could  be  easier  or  more  restful  than  my 
voyage  in  the  trade- winds. 

I  sailed  with  a  free  wind  day  after  day,  marking 
the  position  of  my  ship  on  the  chart  with  consid- 
erable precision ;  but  this  was  done  by  intuition,  I 
think,  more  than  by  slavish  calculations.  For  one 
whole  month  my  vessel  held  her  course  true ;  I  had 
not,  the  while,  so  much  as  a  light  in  the  binnacle. 
The  Southern  Cross  I  saw  every  night  abeam.  The 
sun  every  morning  came  up  astern ;  every  evening 
it  went  down  ahead.  I  wished  for  no  other  com- 
pass to  guide  me,  for  these  were  true.  If  I  doubted 
my  reckoning  after  a  long  time  at  sea  I  verified  it 
by  reading  the  clock  aloft  made  by  the  Great 
Architect,  and  it  was  right. 

There  was  no  denying  that  the  comical  side  of  the 
strange  life  appeared.  I  awoke,  sometimes,  to  find 
tlie  sun  already  shining  into  my  cabin.  I  heard 
water  rushing  by,  with  only  a  thin  plank  between 
me  and  the  depths,  and  I  said,  "How  is  this!"  But 
it  was  all  right ;  it  was  my  ship  on  her  course,  sailing 

10 


r 


'4 


■4 
\< 

' '    II 

'4 
■I 

M 

'3 


r 


'!   u 


146 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


1 


as  no  other  ship  had  ever  sailed  before  in  the  world. 
The  rushing  water  along  her  side  told  me  that  she 
was  sailing  at  full  speed.  I  knew  that  no  human 
hand  was  at  the  helm ;  I  knew  that  all  was  well  with 
"the  hands"  forward,  and  that  there  was  no 
mutiny  on  board. 

The  phenomena  of  ocean  meteorology  were  inter- 
esting studies  even  here  in  the  trade-winds.  I 
observed  that  about  every  seven  days  the  wind 
freshened  and  drew  several  points  farther  than 
usual  from  the  direction  of  the  pole ;  that  is,  it  went 
round  from  east-southeast  to  south-southeast,  while 
at  the  same  time  a  heavy  swell  rolled  up  from  the 
southwest.  All  this  indicated  that  gales  were 
going  on  in  the  anti-trades.  The  wind  then  hauled 
day  after  day  as  it  moderated,  till  it  stood  again  at 
the  normal  point,  east-southeast.  This  is  more  or 
less  the  constant  state  of  the  winter  trades  in  lati- 
tude 12°  S.,  where  I  "  ran  down  the  longitude  "  for 
weeks.  The  sun,  we  all  know,  is  the  creator  of  the 
trade-winds  and  of  the  wind  system  over  all  the 
earth.  But  ocean  meteorology  is,  I  think,  the  most 
fascinating  of  all.  From  Juan  Fernandez  to  the 
Marquesas  I  experienced  six  changes  of  these  great 
palpitations  of  sea-winds  and  of  the  sea  itself,  the 
effect  of  far-off  gales.  To  know  the  laws  that 
govern  the  winds,  and  to  know  that  you  know 
them,  will  give  you  an  easy  mind  on  your  voyage 
round  the  world;  otherwise  you  may  tremble  at 
the  appearance  of  every  cloud.  What  is  true  of 
this  in  the  trade-winds  is  much  more  so  in  the 
variables,  where  changes  run  more  to  extremes. 

To  cross  the  Pacific  Ocean,  even  under  the  most 


SIGHTING  THE  MARQUESAS 


147 


favorable  circumstances,  brings  you  for  many  days 
close  to  nature,  and  you  realize  the  vastness  of  the 
sea.  Slowly  but  surely  the  mark  of  my  little  ship's 
course  on  the  track-chart  reached  out  on  the  ocean 
and  across  it,  while  at  her  utmost  speed  she  marked 
with  her  keel  still  slowly  the  sea  that  carried  her. 
On  the  forty-third  day  from  land, —  a  long  time  to 
be  at  sea  alone, —  the  sky  being  beautifully  clear 
and  the  moon  being  "  in  distance  "  with  the  sun,  I 
threw  up  my  sextant  for  sights.  I  found  from  the 
result  of  three  observations,  after  long  wrestling 
with  lunar  tables,  that  her  longitude  by  observa- 
tion agreed  within  five  miles  of  that  by  dead- 
reckoning. 

This  was  wonderful ;  both,  however,  might  be  in 
error,  but  somehow  I  felt  confident  that  both  were 
nearly  true,  and  that  in  a  few  hours  more  I  should 
see  land ;  and  so  it  happened,  for  then  I  made  the 
island  of  Nukahiva,  the  southernmost  of  the  Mar- 
quesas group,  clear-cut  and  lofty.  The  verified 
longitude  when  abreast  was  somewhere  between 
the  two  reckonings ;  this  was  extraordinary.  All 
navigators  will  tell  you  that  from  one  day  to 
another  a  ship  may  lose  or  gain  more  than  five 
miles  in  her  sailing-account,  and  agrm,  in  the 
matter  of  lunars,  even  expert  lunarians  are  con- 
sidered as  doing  clever  work  when  they  average 
within  eight  miles  of  the  truth. 

I  hope  I  am  making  it  clear  that  I  do  not  lay 
claim  to  cleverness  or  to  slavish  calculations  in 
my  reckonings.  I  think  I  have  already  stated  that 
I  kept  my  longitude,  at  least,  mostly  by  intuition. 
A  rotator  log  always  towed  astern,  but  so  much 


I 


i 
1 


'4 


-I       1  ■• 


'I 

J- 

Hi 


I 


<n 


148 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


has  to  be  allowed  for  currents  and  for  drift,  which 
the  log  never  shows,  that  it  is  only  an  approxima- 
tion, after  all,  to  be  corrected  by  one's  own  judg- 
ment from  data  of  a  thousand  voyages ;  and  even 
then  the  master  of  the  ship,  if  he  be  wise,  cries  out 
for  the  lead  and  the  lookout. 

Unique  was  my  experience  in  nautical  astronomy 
from  the  deck  of  the  Spray  —  so  much  so  that  I 
fee'  iu  >tiled  in  briefly  telling  it  here.  The  first  set 
of  ,  }it  just  spoken  of,  put  her  many  hundred 
milCiL  wes^  ^i  my  reckoning  by  account.  I  knew 
that  this  could  not  be  correct.  In  about  an  hour's 
time  I  took  another  set  of  observations  with  the 
utmost  care;  the  mean  result  of  these  was  about 
the  same  as  that  of  the  first  set.  I  asked  myself 
why,  with  my  boasted  self-dependence,  I  had  not 
done  at  least  better  than  this.  Then  I  went  in 
search  of  a  discrepancy  in  the  tables,  and  I  found 
it.  In  the  tables  I  found  that  the  column  of  figures 
from  which  I  had  got  an  important  logarithm  was 
in  error.  It  was  a  matter  I  could  prove  beyond  a 
doubt,  and  it  made  the  difference  as  already  stated. 
The  tables  being  corrected,  I  sailed  on  with  self- 
reliance  unshaken,  and  with  my  tin  clock  fast 
asleep.  The  result  of  these  observations  naturally 
tickled  my  vanity,  for  I  knew  that  it  was  some- 
thing to  stand  on  a  great  ship's  deck  and  with  two 
assistants  take  lunar  observations  approximately 
near  the  truth.  As  one  of  the  poorest  of  American 
sailors,  I  was  proud  of  the  little  achievement  alone 
on  the  sloop,  even  by  chance  though  it  may  have 
been. 

I  was  m  rapport  now  with  my  surroundings,  and 


EXPERIENCE  IN  BECKONING 


149 


was  carried  on  a  vast  stream  where  I  felt  the  buoy- 
ancy of  His  hand  who  made  all  the  worlds.  I  real- 
ized the  mathematical  truth  of  their  motions,  so 
well  known  that  astronomers  compile  tables  of  their 
positions  through  the  years  and  the  days,  and  the 
minutes  of  a  day,  with  such  precision  that  one  com- 
ing along  over  the  sea  even  five  years  later  may, 
by  their  aid,  find  the  standard  time  of  any  given 
meridian  on  the  earth. 

To  find  local  time  is  a  simpler  matter.  The  dif- 
ference between  local  and  standard  time  is  longi- 
tude expressed  in  time  -  xcnr  minutes,  we  all  know, 
representing  one  degree,  ^'his,  briefly,  is  the  prin- 
ciple on  which  longitude  is  found  independent  of 
chronometers.  The  wo  k  of  the  lunarian,  though 
seldom  practised  in  these  days  of  chronometers, 
is  beautifully  edifying,  and  there  is  nothing  in  the 
realm  of  navigation  that  lifts  one's  heart  up  more 
in  adoration. 


} 


'M 


t' 


and 


M'  :'■ 


\ 


f   i 


CHAPTER  XII 

Seventy-two  days  without  a  port — Whales  and  "birds — A  peep  into 
the  Spray^s  galley — Flying-fish  for  breakfast — A  welcome  at 
Apia — A  visit  from  Mrs.  Robert  Louis  Stevenson— At  Vailima 
—  Samoan  hospitality — Arrested  for  fast  riding — An  amusing 
merry-go-round — Teachers  and  pupils  of  Papauta  College— At 
the  mercy  of  sea-nymphs. 


I 

^1 


*l 


TO  be  alone  forty-three  days  would  seem  a  long 
time,  but  in  reality,  even  here,  winged  mo- 
ments flew  lightly  by,  and  instead  of  my  hauling 
in  for  Nukahiva,  which  I  could  have  made  as  well  as 
not,  I  kept  on  for  Samoa,  where  I  wished  to  make 
my  next  landing.  This  occupied  twenty-nine  days 
more,  making  seventy-two  days  in  all.  I  was  not 
distressed  in  any  way  during  that  time.  There 
was  no  end  of  companionship ;  the  very  coral  reefs 
kept  me  company,  or  gave  me  no  time  to  feel 
lonely,  which  is  the  same  thing,  and  there  were 
many  of  them  now  in  my  course  to  Samoa. 

First  among  the  incidents  of  the  voyage  from 
Juan  Fernandez  to  Samoa  (which  were  not  many) 
was  a  narrow  escape  from  collision  with  a  great 
whale  that  was  absent-mindedly  plowing  the  ocean 
at  night  while  I  was  below.  The  noise  from  his 
startled  snort  and  the  commotion  he  made  in  the 
sea,  as  he  turned  to  clear  my  vessel,  brought  me  on 
deck  in  time  to  catch  a  wetting  from  the  water  he 

190 


WHALES  AND  BIRDS 


151 


threw  up  with  his  flukes.  The  monster  was  appa- 
rently frightened.  He  headed  quickly  for  the  east ; 
I  kept  on  going  west.  Soon  another  whale  passed, 
evidently  a  companion,  following  in  its  wake.    I 


;* 


r 


Meeting  with  the  wliale. 


saw  no  more  on  this  part  of  the  voyage,  nor  did  I 
wish  to. 

Hungry  sharks  came  about  the  vessel  often 
when  she  neared  islands  or  coral  reefs.  I  own  to  a 
satisfaction  in  shooting  them  as  one  would  a  tiger. 
Sharks,  after  all,  are  the  tigers  of  the  sea.  No- 
thing is  more  dreadful  to  the  mind  of  a  sailor,  I 
think,  than  a  possible  encounter  with  a  hungry 
snark. 

A  number  of  birds  were  always  about;  occa- 
sionally one  poised  on  the  mast  to  look  the  Spray 
over,  wondering,  perhaps,  at  her  odd  wings,  for 
she  now  wore  her  Fuego  mainsail,    ,vhich,  like 


! 
•      t 


162 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


I 
I 


i, 


Joseph's  coat,  was  made  of  many  pieces.  Ships 
are  less  common  on  the  Southern  seas  than  for- 
merly. I  saw  not  one  in  the  many  days  crossing 
the  Pacific. 

My  diet  on  these  long  passages  usually  consisted 
of  potatoes  and  salt  cod  and  biscuits,  which  I  made 
two  or  three  times  a  week.  I  had  always  plenty  of 
coffee,  tea,  sugar,  and  flour.  I  carried  usually  a 
good  supply  of  potatoes,  but  before  reaching  Samoa 
I  had  a  mishap  which  left  me  destitute  of  this 
highly  prized  sailors'  luxury.  Through  meeting  at 
Juan  Fernandez  the  Yankee  Portuguese  named 
Manuel  Carroza,  who  nearly  traded  me  out  of  my 
boots,  I  ran  out  of  potatoes  in  mid-ocean,  and  was 
wretched  thereafter.  I  prided  myself  on  being 
something  of  a  trader;  but  this  Portuguese  from 
the  Azores  by  way  of  New  Bedford,  who  gave  me 
new  potatoes  for  the  older  ones  I  had  got  from  the 
Colombia^  a  bushel  or  more  of  the  best,  left  me  no 
ground  for  boasting.  He  Vv'^anted  mine,  he  said, "  for 
changee  the  seed."  When  I  got  to  sea  I  found  that 
his  tubers  were  rank  and  unedible,  and  full  of  fine 
yellow  streaks  of  repulsive  appearance.  I  tied  the 
sack  up  and  returned  to  the  few  left  of  my  old  stock, 
thinking  that  maybe  when  I  got  right  hungry  the 
island  potatoes  would  improve  in  flavor.  Three 
weeks  later  I  opened  the  bag  again,  and  out  flew 
millions  of  winged  insects !  Manuel's  potatoes  had 
all  turned  to  moths.  I  tied  them  up  quickly  and 
threw  all  into  the  sea. 

Manuel  had  a  large  crop  of  potatoes  on  hand, 
and  as  a  hint  to  whalemen,  who  are  always  eager 
to  buy  vegetables,  he  wished  me  to  report  whales 


FLYING  FISH  FOR  BREAKFAST 


163 


the 


off  the  island  of  Juan  Fernandez,  which  I  have 
already  done,  and  big  ones  at  that,  but  they  were 
a  long  way  off. 

Taking  things  by  and  large,  as  sailors  say,  I  got 
on  fairly  well  in  the  matter  of  provisions  even  on 
the  long  voyage  across  the  Pacific.  I  found  always 
some  small  stores  to  help  the  fare  of  luxuries ; 
what  I  lacked  of  fresh  meat  was  made  up  in  fresh 
fish,  at  least  while  in  the  trade-winds,  where  flying- 
fish  crossing  on  the  wing  at  night  would  hit  the 
sails  and  fall  on  deck,  sometimes  two  or  three  of 
them,  sometimes  a  dozen.  Every  morning  except 
when  the  moon  was  large  I  got  a  bountiful  supply 
by  merely  picking  them  up  from  the  lee  scuppers. 
All  tinned  meats  went  begging. 

On  the  16th  of  July,  after  considerable  care  and 
some  skill  and  hard  work,  the  Spray  cast  anchor  at 
Apia,  in  the  kingdom  of  Samoa,  about  noon.  My 
vessel  being  moored,  I  spread  an  awning,  and  in- 
stead of  going  at  once  on  shore  I  sat  under  it  till 
late  in  the  evening,  listening  with  delight  to  the 
musical  voices  of  the  Samoan  men  and  women. 

A  canoe  coming  down  the  harbor,  with  three 
young  women  in  it,  rested  her  paddles  abreast  the 
sloop.  One  of  the  fair  crew,  hailing  with  the  naive 
salutation,  "Talofa  lee"  ("Love  to  you,  chief"), 
asked : 

"  Schoon  come  Melike  f  " 

"  Love  to  you,"  I  answered,  and  said,  "  Yes." 

"  You  man  come  'lone  I " 

Again  I  answered,  "Yes." 

"  I  don't  believe  that.  You  had  '  iier  mans,  and 
you  eat  'em." 


'i  II 


,1 


S  } 


;i 


m 


m4 

iik 


154 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


,       -  'r; 
*.■■♦, 


At  this  sally  the  others  laughed.  "What  for 
you  come  long  way  I  ^  they  asked. 

"  To  hear  you  ladies  sing,**  I  replied. 

"  Oh,  talofa  lee ! "  they  all  cried,  and  sang  on. 
Their  voh.es  filled  the  air  with  music  that  rolled 


First  exchange  of  courtesies  in  Samoa. 

across  to  the  grove  of  tall  palms  on  the  other  side 
of  the  harbor  and  back.  Soon  after  this  six  young 
men  came  down  in  the  United  States  consul- 
generaPs  boat,  singing  in  parts  and  beating  time 
with  thoir  oars.  In  my  interview  with  them  I 
came  off  better  than  with  the  damsels  in  the  canoe. 
They  bore  an  invitation  from  General  Ohurcliill  for 
me  to  come  and  dine  at  the  consulate.    There  was 


fi 


t 
r 


:'-,.vvn^ 


A  VISIT  PROM  MRS.  ROBERT  LOUIS  STEVENSON  156 


for 


;  on. 
oiled 


s^. 


a  lady's  hand  in  things  about  the  consulate  at 
Samoa.  Mrs.  Churchill  picked  the  crew  for  the 
general's  boat,  and  saw  to  it  that  they  wore  a 
smart  uniform  and  that  they  could  sing  the  Samoan 
boatsong,  which  in  the  first  week  Mrs.  Churchill 
herself  could  sing  like  a  native  girl. 

Next  morning  bright  and  early  Mrs.  Robert 
Louis  Stevenson  came  to  the  Spray  and  invited 
me  to  Vailima  the  following  day.  I  was  of  course 
thrilled  when  I  found  myself,  after  so  many  days 
of  adventure,  face  to  face  with  this  bright  woman, 
so  lately  the  companion  of  the  author  who  had 
delighted  me  on  the  voyage.  The  kindly  eyes,  that 
looked  me  through  and  through,  sparkled  when  we 
compared  notes  of  adventure.  I  marveled  at  some 
of  her  experiences  and  escapes.  She  told  me  that, 
along  with  her  husband,  she  had  voyaged  in  all 
manner  of  rickety  craft  among  the  islands  of  the 
Pacific,  reflectively  adding,  "Our  tastes  were 
similar." 

Following  the  subject  of  voyages,  she  gave  me 
the  four  beautiful  volumes  of  sailing  directories  for 
the  Mediterranean,  writing  on  the  fly-leaf  of  the 
first: 


.f 

) 


&r  side 
'oung 

lonsul- 
time 
lem  I 

jcanoe. 
lill  f-or 

Ire  was 


To  Captain  Slocum.  These  volumes  have  been  read  and 
re-read  many  times  by  my  husband,  and  I  am  very  sure  that  he 
would  be  pleased  that  they  should  be  passed  on  to  the  sort  of 
seafaring  man  that  he  liked  above  all  others. 

Fanny  V.  de  G.  Stevenson. 

Mrs.  Stevenson  also  gave  me  a  great  directory  of 
the  Indian  Ocean.  It  was  not  without  a  feeling  of 
reverential  awe  that  I  received  the  books  so  nearly 


IP 


!! 


1B6         SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 

direct  from  the  hand  of  Tusitala,  "  who  sleeps  in 
the  forest."  Aolele,  the  Spray  will  cherish  your 
gift. 

The    novelist's    stepson,  Mr.  Lloyd    Osbourne, 
walked  through  the  Vailima  mansion  with   me 


Vailima,  the  home  of  Robert  Louis  Stevenson. 

and  bade  me  write  my  letters  at  the  old  desk.  I 
thought  it  would  be  presumptuous  to  do  t'  xt;  it 
was  sufficient  for  me  to  enter  the  hall  on  ti  e  floor 
of  which  the  "  Writer  of  Tales,**  according  to  the 
Samoan  custoTu,  was  wont  to  sit. 

Coming  through  the  main  street  of  Apia  one 
day,  with  my  hosts,  all  bound  for  the  Spray^  Mrs. 
Stevenson  on  horseback,  1  walking  by  her  side, 
and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Osbourne  close  in  our  wake  on 
bicycles,  at  a  sudden  turn  in  the  road  we  found 
ourselves  mixed  with  a  remai'kable  native  proces- 
sion, with  a  somewhat  primitive  band  of  music,  in 
front  of  us,  wliile  behind  was  a  festi .  al  or  a  funeral, 
we  could  not  tell  which.  Several  of  the  stoutest 
men  carried  boles  and  bundles  ou  poles.    Some 


8AM0AN  HOSPITALITY 


167 


^ps  in 
your 

mnie, 
li   me 


esk.    I 

'  It;  it 
e  floor 
to  the 

)ia  one 
///,  Mrs. 

r  sido, 
vuke  oil 
e  found 

proces- 
msic,  in 
t'unerul, 
stoutest 
,    Some 


were  evidently  bales  of  tapa-cloth.  The  burden  of 
one  set  of  poles,  heavier  than  the  rest,  however, 
was  not  so  easily  made  out.  My  curiosity  was 
whetted  to  know  whether  it  was  a  roast  pig  or 
something  of  a  gruesome  nature,  and  I  inquired 
about  it.  "I  don't  know,"  said  Mrs.  Stevenson, 
**  whether  this  is  a  wedding  or  a  funeral.  What- 
ever it  is,  though,  captain,  our  place  seems  to  be  at 
the  head  of  it." 

The  Sprat/  being  in  the  stream,  we  boarded  her 
from  the  beach  abreast,  in  the  little  razeed  Glou- 
cester dory,  which  had  been  painted  a  smart  green. 
Our  combined  weight  loaded  it  gunwale  to  the 
water,  and  I  was  obliged  to  steer  with  great  care 
to  avoid  swamping.  The  adventure  pleased  Mrs. 
Stevenson  greatly,  and  as  we  paddled  along  she 
sang,  "  They  went  to  sea  in  a  poa-green  boat."  I 
could  understand  her  saying  of  her  husband  and 
herself,  *'Our  tastes  were  similar." 

As  1  sailed  farther  from  the  center  of  civilization 
I  heard  less  and  less  of  what  worhl  and  wliat 
would  not  pay.  Mrs.  Stevenson,  in  speaking  of 
my  voyage,  did  not  once  ask  me  what  I  would 
make  out  of  it.  When  I  came  to  a  Samoan  vilhige, 
tlie  chief  did  not  ask  the  price  of  gin,  or  say,  '*  How 
much  will  you  pay  for  roast  pig  ? "  but,  "  Dollar, 
dollar,"  said  ho ;  "  white  man  know  only  dollar." 

"  Never  mind  dollar.  The  tapo  has  prepared  ava ; 
let  us  drink  and  rejoice."  The  tapo  is  the  virgin 
lioHtess  of  the  village ;  in  this  instance  it  was  Tnloa, 
daughter  of  ihe  chief.  "Our  taro  is  good;  let  us 
eat.  On  the  tree  there  is  fruit.  Let  the  day  go 
byi  why  should  we  mourn  over  that!    There  are 


158 


SAILING  ALONE  ABOUND  rHE  WORLB 


i 


'■  !l»<: 


tN 


millions  of  days  coming.  The  ^rea/if riH  is  yellow 
in  the  sun,  and  from  the  cloth-ti  t^  is  Taio  d's  gowu. 
Our  house,  which  is  good,  cost  buo  ohe  labor  of 
building  it,  and  there  is  no  lock  on  the  lioor.'' 

While  the  days  go  thus  in  these  Southern  islands 
we  at  the  North  are  struggling  for  the  bare  necessi- 
ties of  life. 

For  food  the  islanders  have  only  to  pvt  out  their 
hand  and  take  what  nature  has  provided  for  them ; 
if  they  plant  a  banana-tree,  their  only  care  after- 
ward is  to  see  that  too  many  trees  do  not  grow. 
They  have  great  reason  to  love  their  country  and 
to  fear  the  white  man's  yoke,  for  once  harnessed  to 
the  plow,  their  life  would  no  longer  be  a  poem. 

The  chief  of  the  village  of  Caini,  who  was  a  tall 
and  dignified  Tonga  man,  could  be  approached 
only  through  an  interpreter  and  tiJking  man.  It 
was  perfectly  natural  for  him  to  inquire  the 
object  of  my  vib.t,  and  I  was  sincere  when  I  told 
him  that  my  reason  for  casting  .-mehor  in  Samoa 
was  to  see  their  fine  men,  and  fine  women,  too. 
After  a  consid  .  *>le  panse  the  chief  said :  "  The 
captain  has  con  ,:«  long  way  to  see  so  little ;  but,'' 
hf"  added,  "the  tajio  must  sit  nearer  the  captain." 
"Yack,"  said  Taloa,  who  had  so  neariy  learned 
to  say  yes  in  English,  and  suiting  the  action  to 
the  word,  she  hitched  a  peg  neartn*,  all  hands 
sitting  in  a  circle  upon  mats.  I  was  no  lepp 
taken  with  the  chiefs  eloquence  than  delighted 
with  the  simplicity  of  all  he  said.  About  him 
there  was  nothing  pompous;  he  might  have  been 
taker  for  a  great  scholar  or  statesman,  the  least 
assuming  of  the  men  I  met  on  the  voyage.    As  for 


ARRESTED  FOR  FAST  RIDING 


159 


Taloa,  a  sort  of  Queen  of  the  May,  ?^nd  tbf  othor 
tapo  girls,  well,  it  is  wise  to  iefirr  as  soon  .h  posai- 
biv3  the  manners  and  customs  of  these  liospit?:bl3 
people,  and  meanwhile  not  to  mistake  for  •  vei- 
familiarity  that  which  is  intended  as  hoDor  to  h 
guest.  I  was  fortunate  in  my  travels  in  the  is^anas, 
and  saw  nothing  to  shake  one's  faith  in  native 
virtue. 

To  the  unconventional  mind  the  punctilious  eti- 
quette of  Samoa  is  perhaps  a  little  painful.  For 
instance,  I  found  that  in  partaking  of  ava,  the 
social  bowl,  I  was  supposed  to  toss  a  little  of  the 
beverage  over  my  shoulder,  or  pretend  to  do  so, 
and  say,  "  Let  the  gods  drink,"  and  then  drink  it 
all  myself;  and  the  dish,  invariably  a  cocoanut- 
shell,  being  empty,  I  might  not  puss  it  politely  as 
we  would  do,  but  politely  throw  it  twirling  across 
the  mats  at  the  tapo. 

My  most  grievous  mistake  while  at  the  i.«^  inds 
was  made  on  a  nag,  which,  inspired  by  a  bH  of 
good  road,  must  needs  break  into  a  fmral  trot 
through  a  village.  I  was  instantly  h  •  Jed  by  the 
chiefs  deputy,  who  in  an  anp:ry  voi^'c  brought 
me  to  a  halt.  Perceivinc:  that  I  was  in  rroubie, 
I  made  signs  for  pardon,  the  safest  t'  ing  to  do, 
though  I  did  not  know  what  otfense  I  had 
committed.  My  interpreter  coming  up,  however, 
put  me  right,  but  not  until  a  long  palaver 
had  ensued.  The  deputy*.^  hail,  libera'ly  trans- 
lated, was:  "Ahoy,  there,  on  the  frantic  steed! 
Know  you  not  that  it  is  against  the  law  to  ride 
thus  througii  the  village  of  our  fathers!"  I  made 
what  ap'  ogies  I  eould,  and  offered  to  dismount 


f    , 


♦ 


h  ' 


M 


m'  it 


■^   \ 


CO 

o 


cd 

o 

« 

S 
o 

•t: 

£ 

o 
v 


4 

•c 


3 
O 
CO 


.2 

u 

a 

o 

u 
o 

e 


AN  AMUSING  MERRY-GO-ROUND 


161 


and,  like  my  servant,  lead  my  nag  by  the  bridle. 
This,  the  interpreter  told  me,  would  also  be  a 
grievous  wrong,  and  so  I  again  begged  for  pardon. 
I  was  summoned  to  appear  before  a  chief;  but  my 
interpreter,  being  a  wit  as  well  as  a  bit  of  a  rogue, 
explained  that  I  was  myself  something  of  a  chief, 
and  should  not  be  detained,  being  on  a  most  im- 
portant mission.  In  my  own  behalf  I  could  only 
say  that  I  was  a  stranger,  but,  pleading  all  this,  I 
knew  I  still  deserved  to  be  roasted,  at  which  the 
chief  showed  a  fine  row  of  teeth  and  seemed 
pleased,  but  allowed  me  to  pass  on. 

The  chief  of  the  Tongas  and  his  family  at  Caini, 
returning  my  visit,  brought  presents  of  tapa-cloth 
and  fruits.  Taloa,  the  princess,  brought  a  bottle 
of  cocoanut-oil  for  my  hair,  which  another  man 
might  have  regarded  as  coming  late. 

It  was  impossible  to  entertain  on  the  Spray  after 
the  royal  manner  in  which  I  had  been  received  by 
the  chief.  His  fare  had  included  all  that  the  land 
could  afford,  fruits,  fowl,  fishes,  and  flesh,  a  hog 
having  been  roasted  whole.  I  set  before  them 
boiled  salt  pork  and  salt  beef,  with  which  I  was 
well  supplied,  and  in  the  evening  took  them  all  to 
a  new  amusement  in  the  town,  a  rocking-horse 
merry-go-round,  which  they  called  a  "kee-kee," 
meaning  theater;  and  in  a  spirit  of  justice  they 
pulled  off  the  horses'  tails,  for  the  proprietors  of 
the  show,  two  hard-fisted  countrymen  of  mine,  I 
grieve  to  say,  unceremoniously  hustle<l  them  off 
for  a  new  set,  almost  at  the  first  spin.  I  was  not  a 
little  proud  of  my  Ton<^a  friends;  the  chief,  finest 
of  them  all,  carried  a  portentous  club.    As  for  the 


I 


u 


162 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


i '        • 


II 


theater,  through  the  greed  of  the  proprietors  it  was 
becoming  unpopular,  and  the  representatives  of 
the  three  great  powers,  in  want  of  laws  which  they 
could  enforce,  adopted  a  vigorous  foreign  policy, 
taxing  it  twenty-five  per  cent,  on  the  gate-money. 
This  was  considered  a  great  stroke  of  legislative 
reform ! 

It  was  the  fashion  of  the  native  visitors  to  the 
Spray  to  come  over  the  bows,  where  they  could 
reach  the  head-gear  and  climb  aboard  with  ease, 
and  on  going  ashore  to  jump  off  the  stern  and 
swim  away;  nothing  could  have  been  more  de- 
lightfully simple.  The  modest  natives  wore  lava- 
lava  bathing-dresses,  a  native  cloth  from  the  bark 
of  the  mulberry-tree,  and  they  did  no  harm  to  the 
Spray.  In  summer-land  Samoa  their  coming  and 
going  was  only  a  merry  e very-day  scene. 

One  day  the  head  teachers  of  Papauta  College, 
Miss  Schultze  and  Miss  Moore,  came  on  board  with 
their  ninety-seven  young  women  students.  They 
were  all  dressed  in  white,  and  each  wore  a  red  rose, 
and  of  course  came  in  boats  or  canoes  in  the  cold- 
climate  style.  A  merrier  bevy  of  girls  it  would  be 
difficult  to  find.  As  soon  as  they  got  on  deck,  by 
request  of  one  of  the  teachers,  they  sang  *'The 
Watch  on  the  Rhine,"  which  I  had  never  heard  be- 
fore. "  And  now,"  said  they  all,  "  let  's  up  anchor 
and  away."  But  I  had  no  inclination  to  sail  from 
Samoa  so  soon.  On  leaving  the  Spray  these  ac- 
complished young  women  each  seized  a  palm- 
branch  or  paddle,  or  whatever  else  would  serve  the 
purpose,  and  literally  paddled  her  own  canoe. 
Each  could   have   swum  as  readily,  and  would 


AT  THE  MERCY  OF  SEA-NYMPHS 


163 


have  done  so,  I  dare  say,  had  it  not  been  for 
the  holiday  muslin. 

It  was  not  uncommon  at  Apia  to  see  a  young 
woman  swimming  alongside  a  small  canoe  with  a 
passenger  for  the  Spray.  Mr.  Trood,  an  old  Eton 
boy,  came  in  this  manner  to  see  me,  and  he  ex- 
claimed, "Was  ever  king  ferried  in  such  state!" 
Then,  suiting  his  action  to  the  sentiment,  he  gave 
the  damsel  pieces  of  silver  till  the  natives  watch- 
ing on  shore  yelled  with  envy.  My  own  canoe,  a 
small  dugout,  one  day  when  it  had  rolled  over  with 
me,  was  seized  by  a  party  of  fair  bathers,  and 
before  I  could  get  my  breath,  almost,  was  towed 
around  and  around  the  Sjway^  while  I  sat  in  the 
bottom  of  it,  wondering  what  they  would  do  next. 
But  in  this  case  there  were  six  of  them,  three  on  a 
side,  and  I  could  not  help  myself.  One  of  the 
sprites,  I  remember,  was  a  young  English  lady, 
who  made  more  sport  of  it  than  any  of  the  others. 


f 
f 

t 


>      !:' 


•W'i 


El?  »■: 


CHAPTER  XIII 


Samoan  royalty— Kiii.7  Maliotoa — Qood-by  to  friends  at  Vailima  — 
Leaving  Fiji  to  tho  south  —  Arrival  at  Newcastle,  Australia  — 
The  yachts  of  Sydney  —  A  ducking  on  the  Spray  —  Commodore 
Foy  presents  the  sloop  with  a  new  suit  of  sails  —  On  to  Melbourne 
—  A  shark  that  proved  to  be  valuable  —  A  change  of  course  — 
The  "Rain  of  Blood"  — In  Tasmania. 


M 


AT  Apia  I  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  Mr.  A. 
XjL  Young,  the  father  of  the  late  Queen  Margaret, 
who  was  Queen  of  Manua  from  1891  to  1895.  Her 
grandfather  was  an  English  sailor  who  mar- 
ried a  princess.  Mr.  Young  is  now  the  only  sur- 
vivor of  the  family,  two  of  his  children,  the  last  of 
them  all,  having  been  lost  in  an  island  trader  which 
a  few  months  before  had  sailed,  never  to  return. 
Mr.  Young  was  a  Christian  gentleman,  and  his 
daughter  Margaret  was  accomplished  in  graces 
that  would  become  any  lady.  It  waF  with  pain 
that  I  saw  in  the  newspapers  a  sensational  account 
of  her  life  and  death,  taken  evidently  from  a  paper 
in  the  supposed  interest  of  a  benevolent  society, 
but  without  foundation  in  fact.  And  the  startling 
head-lines  saying,  "Queen  Margaret  of  Manua  is 
dead,"  could  hardly  be  called  news  in  1898,  the 
queen  having  then  been  dead  three  years. 

While  hobnobbing,  as  it  were,  with  royalty,  I 
called  on  the  king  himself,  the  late  Malietoa.    King 

16i 


[^ 


8AM0AN  ROYALTY 


166 


lilima  — 
itralia  — 
ixmodore 
si  bourne 
'ourae  — 


Mr.  A. 

pgaret, 
.  Her 
mar- 
ly siir- 
last  of 
which 
return, 
nd  his 
graces 
li  pain 
ccount 
t  paper 
iociety, 
artling 
mua  is 
08,  the 

ralty,  I 
King 


Malietoa  was  a  great  ruler ;  he  never  got  less  than 
forty-five  dollars  a  month  for  the  job,  as  he  told 
me  himself,  and  this  amount  had  lately  been  raised, 
so  that  he  could  live  on  the  fat  of  the  land  and  not 
any  longer  be  called  " Tin-of-salnion  Malietoa''  by 
graceless  beach-combers. 

As  my  interpreter  and  I  entered  the  front  door 
of  the  palace,  the  king's  brother,  who  was  viceroy, 
sneaked  in  through  a  taro-patch  by  the  back  way, 
and  sat  cowering  by  the  door  while  I  told  my  story 
to  the  king.  Mr.  W of  New  York,  a  gentle- 
man interested  in  missionary  work,  had  charged 
me,  when  I  sailed,  to  give  his  remembrance  to  the 
king  of  the  Cannibal  Islands,  other  islands  of 
course  being  meant ;  but  the  good  King  Malietoa, 
notwithstanding  that  his  people  have  not  eaten  a 
missionary  in  a  hundred  years,  received  the  mes- 
sage himself,  and  seemed  greatly  pleased  to  hear 
so  directly  from  the  publishers  of  the  "Missionary 
Review,"  and  wished  me  to  make  his  compli- 
ments in  return.  His  Majesty  then  excused  him- 
self, while  I  talked  with  his  daughter,  the  beautiful 
Faamu-Sami  (a  name  signifying  *'  To  make  the  sea 
burn  "),  and  soon  reappeared  in  the  full-dress  uni- 
form of  the  German  commander-in-chief.  Emperor 
William  himself;  for,  stupidly  enough,  I  had  not 
sent  my  credentials  ahead  that  the  king  might  be 
in  full  regalia  to  receive  me.  Calling  a  few  days 
later  to  say  good-by  to  Faamu-Sami,  I  saw  King 
Malietoa  fov  the  last  time. 

Of  the  landmarks  in  the  pleasant  town  of  Apia, 
my  memory  rests  first  on  the  little  school  just  back 
of  the  Londou  Missionary  Society  coffee-house  and 


I 
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IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-S) 


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Photographic 

Sdences 

Corporation 


23  WIST  MAIN  STRUT 

WMSTER.N.Y.  14SM 

(716)  •72-4503 


166 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


reading-rooms,  where  Mrs.  Bell  taught  English  to 
about  a  hundred  native  children,  boys  and  girls. 
Brighter  children  you  will  not  find  anywhere. 

"Now,  children,*'  said  Mrs.  Bell,  when  I  called 
one  day,  "let  us  show  the  captain  that  we  know 
something  about  the  Cape  Horn  he  passed  in  the 
Spray, ^  at  which  a  lad  of  nine  or  ten  years  stepped 
nimbly  forward  and  read  Basil  Hall's  fine  descrip- 
tion of  the  great  cape,  and  read  it  well.  He  after- 
ward copied  the  essay  for  me  in  a  clear  hand. 

Calling  to  say  good-by  to  my  friends  at  Vailima, 
I  met  Mrs.  Stevenson  in  her  Panama  hat,  and 
went  over  the  estate  with  her.  Men  were  at  work 
clearing  the  land,  and  to  one  of  them  she  gave  an 
order  to  cut  a  couple  of  bamboo-trees  for  the 
Spray  from  a  clump  she  had  planted  four  years 
before,  and  which  had  grown  to  the  height  of  sixty 
feet.  I  used  them  for  spare  spars,  and  the  butt  of 
one  made  a  serviceable  jib-boom  on  the  homeward 
voyage.  I  had  then  only  to  take  ava  with  the 
family  and  be  ready  for  sea.  This  ceremony,  im- 
portant among  ^amoans,  was  conducted  after  the 
native  fashion.  A  Triton  horn  was  sounded  to 
let  us  know  when  the  beverage  was  ready,  and  in 
response  we  all  clapped  hands.  The  bout  being  in 
honor  of  the  Spray,  it  was  my  turn  first,  after  the 
custom  of  the  country,  to  spill  a  little  over  my 
shoulder;  but  having  forgotten  the  Samoan  for 
"  Let  Li  e  gods  drink,"  I  repeated  the  equivalent  in 
Russian  and  Chinook,  as  I  remembered  a  word  in 
each,  whereupon  Mr.  Osbourne  pronounced  me  a 
confirmed  Samoan.  Then  I  said  "  Tofah  !  ^  to  my 
good  friends  of  Samoa,  and  all  wishing  the  Spray 


LEAVING  PUI  TO  THE  SOUTH 


167 


hon  voyage,  she  stood  out  of  the  harbor  August  20, 
1896,  and  continued  on  her  course.  A  sense  of 
loneliness  seized  upon  me  as  the  islands  faded 
astern,  and  as  a  remedy  for  it  I  crowded  on  sail 
for  lovely  Australia,  which  was  not  a  strange  land 
to  me ;  but  for  long  days  in  my  dreams  Vailima 
stood  before  the  prow. 

The  Spray  had  barely  cleared  the  islands  when  a 
sudden  burst  of  the  trades  brought  her  down  to 
close  reefs,  and  she  reeled  off  one  hundred  and 
eighty-four  miles  the  first  day,  of  which  I  counted 
forty  miles  of  current  in  her  favor.  Finding  a 
rough  sea,  I  swung  her  off  free  and  sailed  north 
of  the  Horn  Islands,  also  north  of  Fiji  instead  of 
south,  as  I  had  intended,  and  coasted  down  the  west 
side  of  the  archipelago.  Thence  I  sailed  direct  for 
New  South  Wales,  passing  south  of  New  Caledonia, 
and  arrived  at  Newcastle  after  a  passage  of  forty- 
two  days,  mostly  of  storms  and  gales. 

One  particularly  severe  gale  encountered  near 
New  Caledonia  foundered  the  American  clipper- 
ship  Patrician  farther  south.  Again,  nearer  the 
coast  of  Australia,  when,  however,  I  was  not  aware 
that  the  gale  was  extraordinary,  a  French  mail- 
steamer  from  New  Caledonia  for  Sydney,  blown 
considerably  out  of  her  course,  on  her  arrival  re- 
ported it  an  awful  storm,  and  to  inquiring  friends 
said :  "  Oh,  my !  we  don't  know  what  has  become 
of  the  little  sloop  Spray.  We  saw  her  in  the  thick 
of  the  storm."  The  Spray  was  all  right,  lying  to 
like  a  duck.  She  was  under  a  goose's  wing  mainsail, 
and  had  had  a  dry  deck  while  the  passengers  on 
the  steamer,  I  heard  later,  were  up  to  their  knees 


M 


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168 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


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in  water  in  the  saloon.  When  their  ship  arrived  at 
Sydney  they  gave  the  captain  a  purse  of  gold  for 
his  skill  and  seamanship  in  bringing  them  safe  into 
port.  The  captain  of  the  Spray  got  nothing  of  this 
sort.  In  this  gale  I  made  the  land  about  Seal 
Eocks,  where  the  steamship  Catherton,  with  many 
lives,  was  lost  a  short  time  before.  I  was  many 
hours  off  the  rocks,  beating  back  and  forth,  but 
weathered  them  at  last. 

I  arrived  at  Newcastle  in  the  teeth  of  a  gale  of 
wind.  It  was  a  stormy  season.  The  government 
pilot.  Captain  Gumming,  met  me  at  the  haibor  bar, 
and  with  the  assistance  of  a  steamer  carried  my  ves- 
sel to  a  safe  berth.  Many  visitors  came  on  board, 
the  fii'st  being  the  United  States  consul,  Mr.  Brown. 
Nothing  was  too  good  for  the  Spray  here.  All 
government  dues  were  remitted,  and  after  I  had 
rested  a  few  days  a  port  pilot  with  a  tug  carried 
her  to  sea  again,  and  she  made  along  the  coast 
toward  the  harbor  of  Sydney,  where  she  arrived  on 
the  following  day,  October  10,  1896. 

I  came  to  in  a  snug  cove  near  Manly  for  the 
night,  the  Sydney  harbor  police-boat  giving  me  a 
pluck  into  anchorage  while  they  gathered  data 
from  an  old  scrap-book  of  mine,  which  seemed  to 
interest  them.  Nothing  escapes  the  vigilance  of 
the  New  South  Wales  police;  their  reputation  is 
known  the  world  over.  They  made  a  shrewd  guess 
that  I  could  give  them  some  useful  information, 
and  they  were  the  first  to  meet  me.  Some  one  said 
they  came  to  arrest  me,  and  —  well,  let  it  go  at  that. 

Summer  was  approaching,  and  the  harbor  of 
Sydney  was  blooming  with  yachts.    Some  of  them 


A  DUCKING  ON  THE  SPRAY 


169 


The  accident  at  Sydney. 

came  down  to  the  weather-beaten  Sprmj  and  sailed 
round  her  at  Shelcote,  where  she  took  a  berth  for  a 
few  days.    At  Sydney  I  was  at  once  among  friends. 


lis' 


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170 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


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The  Spray  remained  at  the  various  watering-places 
in  the  great  port  for  several  weeks,  and  was  visited 
by  many  agreeable  people,  frequently  by  officers  of 
H.  M.  S.  Orlando  and  their  friends.  Captain  Fisher, 
the  commander,  with  a  party  of  young  ladies  from 
the  city  and  gentlemen  belonging  to  his  ship,  came 
one  day  to  pay  me  a  visit  in  the  midst  of  a  deluge 
of  rain.  I  never  saw  it  rain  harder  even  in  Aus- 
tralia. But  they  were  out  for  fun,  and  rain  could 
not  dampen  their  feelings,  however  hard  it  poured. 
But,  as  ill  luck  would  have  it,  a  young  gentleman 
of  another  party  on  board,  in  the  full  uniform 
of  a  very  great  yacht  »  mb,  with  brass  buttons 
enough  to  sink  him,  stepping  quickly  to  get  out  of 
the  wet,  tumbled  holus-bolus,  head  and  heels,  into 
a  barrel  of  water  I  had  been  coopering,  and  being 
a  short  man,  was  soon  out  of  sight,  and  nearly 
drowned  before  he  was  rescued.  It  was  the  nearest 
to  a  casualty  on  the  Spray  in  her  whole  course,  so 
far  as  I  know.  The  young  man  having  come  on 
board  with  compliments  made  the  mishap  most 
embarrassing.  It  had  been  decided  by  his  club 
that  the  Spray  could  not  be  officially  recognized, 
for  the  reason  that  she  brought  no  letters  from 
yacht-clubs  in  America,  and  so  I  say  it  seemed  all 
the  more  embarrassing  and  strange  that  I  should 
have  caught  at  least  one  of  the  members,  in  a  bar- 
rel, and,  too,  when  I  way  not  fishing  for  yachtsmen. 
The  typical  Sydney  boat  is  a  handy  sloop  of 
great  beam  and  enormous  sail-carrying  power;  but 
a  capsize  is  not  uncommon,  for  they  carry  sail  like 
vikings.  In  Sydney  I  saw  all  manner  of  craft, 
from  the  smart  steam-launch  and  sailing-cutter  to 


A  NEW  SUIT  OF  SAILS 


171 


the  smaller  sloop  and  canoe  pleasuring  on  the  bay. 
Everybody  owned  a  boat.  If  a  boy  in  Australia 
has  not  the  means  to  buy  him  a  boat  he  builds  one, 
and  it  is  usually  one  not  to  be  ashamed  of.  The 
Spray  shed  her  Joseph's  coat,  the  Fuego  mainsail, 
in  Sydney,  and  wearing  a  new  suit,  the  handsome 
present  of  Commodore  Foy,  she  was  flagship  of  the 
Johnstone's  Bay  Flying  Squadron  when  the  cir- 
cumnavigators of  Sydney  harbor  sailed  in  their 
annual  regatta.  They  "  recognized  "  the  Spray  as 
belonging  to  "  a  club  of  her  own,"  and  with  more 
Australian  sentiment  than  fastidiousness  gave  her 
credit  for  her  record. 

Time  flew  fast  those  days  in  Australia,  and  it 
was  December  6, 1896,  when  the  Spray  sailed  from 
Sydney.  My  intention  was  now  to  sail  around 
Cape  Leeuwin  direct  for  Mauritius  on  my  way 
home,  and  so  I  coasted  along  toward  Bass  Strait  in 
that  direction. 

There  was  little  to  report  on  this  part  of  the 
voyage,  except  changeable  winds,  "busters,"  and 
rough  seas.  The  12th  of  December,  however,  was 
an  exceptional  day,  with  a  fine  coast  wind,  north- 
east. The  Spray  early  in  the  morning  passed 
Twofold  Bay  and  later  Cape  Bundooro  in  a  smooth 
sea  with  land  close  aboard.  The  lighthouse  on  the 
cape  dipped  a  flag  to  the  Spray^s  flag,  and  children 
on  the  balconies  of  a  cottage  near  the  shore  waved 
handkerchiefs  as  she  passed  by.  There  were  only 
a  few  people  all  told  on  the  shore,  but  the  scene 
was  a  happy  one.  I  saw  festoons  of  evergreen  in 
token  of  Christmas,  near  at  hand.  I  saluted  the 
merrymakers,  wishing  them  a  "  Merry  Christmas.'' 


^^4 


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172 


SAILING  ALONE  ABOUND  THE  WORLD 


and  could  hear  them  say,  "I  wish  you  the 
same." 

From  Cape  Bundooro  I  passed  by  Cliff  Island  in 
Bass  Strait,  and  exchanged  signals  with  the  Jight- 
keepers  while  the  Spray  worked  up  under  the 
island.  The  wind  howled  that  day  while  the  sea 
broke  over  their  rocky  home. 

A  few  days  later,  December  17,  the  Spray  came 
in  close  under  Wilson's  Promontory,  again  seek- 
ing shelter.  The  keeper  of  the  light  at  that  sta- 
tion, Mr.  J.  Clark,  came  on  board  and  gave  me 
directions  for  Waterloo  Bay,  about  three  miles  to 
leeward,  for  which  I  bore  up  at  once,  finding  good 
anchorage  there  in  a  sandy  cove  protected  from  all 
westerly  and  northerly  winds. 

Anchored  here  was  the  ketch  Secret^  a  fisherman, 
and  the  Mary  of  Sydney,  a  steam  ferry-boat  fitted 
for  whaling.  The  captain  of  the  Mary  was  a  genius, 
and  an  Australian  genius  at  that,  and  smart.  His 
crew,  from  a  t^awmill  up  the  coast,  had  not  one  of 
them  seen  a  live  whale  when  they  shipped;  but 
they  were  boatmen  after  an  Australian's  own  heart, 
and  the  captain  had  told  them  that  to  kill  a  whale 
was  no  more  than  to  kill  a  rabbit.  They  beLeved 
him,  and  that  settled  it.  As  luck  would  have  it, 
the  very  first  one  they  saw  on  their  cruise,  although 
an  ugly  humpback,  was  a  dead  whale  in  no  time, 
Captain  Young,  the  master  of  the  Mary,  killing 
the  monster  at  a  single  thrust  of  a  harpoon.  It 
was  taken  in  tow  for  Sydney,  where  they  put  it  on 
exhibition.  Nothing  but  whales  interested  the 
crew  of  the  gallant  Mary,  and  they  spent  most  of 
their  time  here  gathering  fuel  along  shore  for  a 


ON  TO  MELBOURNE 


173 


cruise  on  the  grounds  off  Tasmania.  Whenever  the 
word  "whale ''was  mentioned  in  the  hearing  of 
these  men  their  eyes  glistened  with  excitement. 


Captain  Slocum  working  the  Spray  out  of  the  Yarrow  River, 
a  part  of  Melbourne  harbor. 

We  spent  three  days  in  the  quiet  cove,  listening 
to  the  wind  outside.  Meanwhile  Captain  Young 
and  I  explored  the  shores,  visited  abandoned 
miners'  pits,  anu  prospected  for  gold  ourselves. 

Our  vessels,  parting  company  the  morning  they 
sailed,  stood  away  like  sea-birds  each  on  its  own 
course.    The  wind  for  a  few  days  was  moderate, 


:  V\ 


174 


SAILING  ALONE  ABOUND  THE  WORLD 


and,  with  unusual  luck  of  fine  weather,  the  Spray 
made  Melbourne  Heads  on  the  22d  of  December, 
and,  taken  in  tow  by  the  steam-tug  Racer,  was 
brought  into  port. 

Christmas  day  was  spent  at  a  berth  in  the  river 
Yarrow,  but  I  lost  little  time  in  shifting  to  St.  Kilda, 
where  I  spent  nearly  a  month. 

The  Spray  paid  no  port  charges  in  Australia  or 
anywhere  else  on  the  voyage,  except  at  Pernambuco, 
till  she  poked  her  nose  into  the  custom-house  at 
Melbourne,  where  she  was  charged  tonnage  dues ;  in 
this  instance,  sixpence  a  ton  on  the  gross.  The  col- 
lector exacted  six  shillings  and  sixpence,  taking  off 
nothing  for  the  fraction  under  thirteen  tons,  her 
exact  gross  being  12.70  tons.  I  squared  the  matter 
by  charging  people  sixpence  each  for  coming  on 
board,  and  when  this  business  got  dull  I  caught  a 
shark  and  charged  them  sixpence  each  to  look  at 
that.  The  shark  was  twelve  feet  six  inches  in 
length,  and  carried  a  progeny  of  twenty-six,  not 
one  of  them  less  than  two  feet  in  length.  A  slit 
of  a  knife  let  them  out  in  a  canoe  full  of  water, 
which,  changed  constantly,  kept  them  alive  one 
whole  day.  In  less  than  an  hour  from  the  time  I 
heard  of  the  ugly  brute  it  was  on  deck  and  on  exhi- 
bition, with  rather  more  than  the  amount  of  the 
Spray^s  tonnage  dues  already  collected.  Then  I 
hired  a  good  Irishman,  Tom  Howard  by  name, — 
who  knew  all  about  sharks,  both  on  the  land  and 
in  the  sea,  and  could  talk  about  them, —  to  answer 
questions  and  lecture.  When  I  found  that  I  could 
not  keep  abreast  of  the  questions  I  turned  the  re- 
apoDsibility  over  to  him. 


)  Spray 
jember, 
er,  was 

le  river 
;.  Kilda, 

ralia  or 
imbuco, 
ouse  at 
lues ;  in 
rhe  col- 
king  off 
ons,  her 
)  matter 
ning  on 
aught  a 
look  at 
Lches  in 
six,  not 

A  slit 
:  water, 
ive  one 
e  time  I 
on  exhi- 
t  of  the 
Then  I 
name, — 
and  and 

answer 
)  I  could 
I  the  re- 


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176 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


) 


! 


^ 


Returning  from  the  bank,  where  I  had  been  to 
deposit  money  early  in  the  day,  I  found  Howard 
in  the  midst  of  a  very  excited  crowd,  telling  imagi- 
nary habits  of  the  fish.  It  was  a  good  show ;  the 
people  wished  to  see  it,  and  it  was  my  wish  that 
they  should ;  but  owing  to  his  over-stimulated  en- 
thusiasm, I  was  obliged  to  let  Howard  resign.  The 
income  from  the  show  and  the  proceeds  of  the 
tallow  I  had  gathered  in  the  Strait  of  Magellan, 
the  last  of  which  I  had  disposed  of  to  a  Ger- 
man soap-boiler  at  Samoa,  put  me  in  ample 
funds. 

January  24, 1897,  found  the  Spray  again  in  tow 
of  the  tug  Bacer,  leaving  Hobson^s  Bay  after  a 
pleasant  time  in  Melbourne  and  St.  Kilda,  which 
had  been  protracted  by  a  succession  of  southwest 
winds  that  seemed  never-ending. 

In  the  summer  months,  that  is,  December,  Jan- 
uary, February,  and  sometimes  March,  east  winds 
are  prevalent  through  Bass  Strait  and  round 
Cape  Leeuwin ;  but  owing  to  a  vast  amount  of  ice 
drifting  up  from  the  Antarctic,  this  was  all  changed 
now  and  emphasized  with  much  bad  weather, 
so  much  so  that  I  considered  it  impracticable  to 
pursue  the  course  farther.  Therefore,  instead  of 
thrashing  round  cold  and  stormy  Cape  Leeuwin,  I 
decided  to  spend  a  pleasanter  and  more  profitable 
time  in  Tasmania,  waiting  for  the  season  for  favor- 
able winds  through  Torres  Strait,  by  way  of  the 
Great  Barrier  Reef,  the  route  I  finally  decided 
on.  To  sail  this  course  would  be  taking  advan- 
tage of  anticyclones,  which  never  fail,  and  besides 
it  would  give  me  the  chance  to  put  foot  on  the 


THE  "RAIN  OP  BLOOD" 


177 


shores  of  Tasmania,  round  w-ich  I  had  sailed 
years  before. 

I  should  mention  that  while  I  was  at  Melbourne 
there  occurred  one  of  those  extraordinary  storms 
sometimes  called  "rain  of  blood,**  the  first  of  the 
kind  in  many  years  about  Australia.  The  "  blood  ^ 
came  from  a  fine  brick-dust  matter  afloat  in  the 
air  from  the  deserts.  A  rain-storm  setting  iu 
brought  down  this  dust  simply  as  mud ;  it  fell  in 
such  quantities  that  a  bucketful  was  collected  from 
the  sloop's  awnings,  which  were  spread  at  the 
time.  When  the  wind  blew  hard  and  I  was  obliged 
to  furl  awnings,  her  sails,  unprotected  on  the  booms, 
got  mud-stained  from  clue  to  earing. 

The  phenomena  of  dust-storms,  well  understood 
by  scientists,  are  not  uncommon  on  the  coast  of 
Africa.  Reaching  some  distance  out  over  the  sea, 
they  frequently  cover  the  track  of  ships,  as  in  the 
case  of  the  one  through  which  the  Spray  passed  in 
the  earlier  part  of  her  voyage.  Sailors  no  longer 
regard  them  with  superstitious  fear,  but  our  credu- 
lous brothers  on  the  land  cry  out "  Eain  of  blood  I " 
at  the  first  splash  of  the  awful  mud. 

The  rip  off  Port  Phillip  Heads,  a  wild  place,  was 
rough  when  the  Spray  entered  Hobson's  Bay  from 
the  sea,  and  was  rougher  when  she  stood  out.  But, 
with  sea-room  and  under  sail,  she  made  good 
weather  immediately  after  passing  it.  It  was  oniy 
a  few  hours*  sail  to  Tasmania  across  the  strait,  the 
wind  being  fair  and  blowing  hard.  I  carried  the 
St.  Kilda  shark  along,  stuffed  with  hay,  and  dis- 
posed of  it  to  Professor  Porter,  the  curator  of  the 
Victoria  Museum  of  Launceston,  which  is  at  the 

12 


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I  > 


I 


IN  TASMANIA 


179 


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1 

I 

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O 


head  of  the  Taraar.  For  many  a  long  iay  to  come 
may  be  seen  there  the  shark  of  St.  Kiida.  Alas  I 
the  good  but  mistaken  people  of  St.  Kilda,  when 
the  illustrated  journals  with  pictures  of  my  shark 
.eached  their  news-stands,  flew  into  a  passion,  and 
swept  all  papers  containing  mention  of  fish  into 
the  fire;  for  St.  Kilda  was  a  watering-place  —  and 
the  idea  of  a  shark  there  !    But  my  show  went  on. 

The  Spray  was  berthed  on  the  beach  at  a  small 
jetty  at  Launceston  while  the  tide  driven  in  by  the 
gale  that  brought  her  up  the  river  was  unusually 
high ;  and  she  lay  there  hard  and  fast,  with  not 
enough  water  around  her  at  any  time  after  to  wet 
one^s  feet  till  she  was  ready  to  sail ;  then,  to  float 
her,  the  ground  was  dug  from  under  her  keel. 

In  this  snug  place  I  left  her  in  charge  of  three 
children,  while  I  made  journeys  among  the  hills 
and  rested  my  bones,  for  the  coming  voyage,  on 
the  moss-covered  rocks  at  the  gorge  hard  by,  and 
among  the  ferns  I  found  wherever  T  went.  My 
vessel  was  well  taken  care  of.  I  never  returned 
without  finding  that  the  decks  had  been  washed 
and  that  one  of  the  children,  my  nearest  neighbor's 
little  girl  from  across  the  road,  was  at  the  gangway 
attending  to  visitors,  while  the  others,  a  brother 
and  sister,  sold  marine  curios  such  as  were  in  the 
cargo,  on  "  ship's  account."  They  were  a  bright, 
cheerful  crew,  and  people  came  a  long  way  to  hear 
them  tell  the  story  of  the  voyage,  and  of  the  mon- 
sters of  the  deep  "  the  captain  had  slain.''  I  had 
only  to  keep  myself  away  to  be  a  hero  of  the  first 
water;  and  it  suited  me  very  well  to  do  so  and 
to  rusticate  in  the  forests  and  among  the  streams. 


\         '■ 
I* 


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1 


CHAPTER  XIV 

A  testimonial  from  a  lady — Cruising  round  Tasmania — The  skipper 
delivers  his  first  lecture  on  the  voyage  —  Abundant  provisions  — 
An  inspection  of  the  Spray  for  safety  at  Devonport  —  Again  at 
Sydney  —  Northward  bound  for  Torres  Strait  —  An  amateur  ship- 
wreck—  Friends  on  the  Australian  coast — Perils  of  a  coral  sea. 

FEBEUARY  1, 1897,  on  returning  to  my  vessel 
I  found  waiting  for  me  the  letter  of  sympathy 
which  I  subjoin : 

A  lady  sends  Mr.  Slocum  the  inclosed  five-pound  note 
as  a  token  of  her  appreciation  of  his  bravery  in  crossing 
the  wide  seas  on  so  small  a  boat,  and  all  alone,  without 
human  sympathy  to  help  when  danger  threatened.  All 
success  to  you. 

To  this  day  I  do  not  know  who  wrote  it  or  to 
whom  I  am  indebted  for  the  generous  gift  it  con- 
tained. I  could  not  refuse  a  thing  so  kindly  meant, 
but  promised  myself  to  pass  it  on  with  interest  at 
the  first  opportunity,  and  this  I  did  before  leaving 
Australia. 

The  season  of  fair  weather  around  the  north  of 
Australia  being  yet  a  long  way  off,  I  sailed  to  other 
ports  in  Tasmania,  where  it  is  fine  the  year  round, 
the  first  of  these  being  Beauty  Point,  near  which 
are  Beaconsfield  and  the  great  Tasmania  gold-mine, 
which  I  visited  in  turn.    I  saw  much  gray,  unin- 


CRUISING  BOUND  TASMANIA 


181 


teresting  rock  being  hoisted  out  of  the  mine  there, 
and  hundreds  of  stamps  crushing  it  into  powder. 
People  told  me  there  was  gold  in  it,  and  I  believed 
what  they  said. 

I  remember  Beauty  Point  for  its  shady  forest 
and  for  the  road  among  the  tall  gum-trees.  While 
there  the  governor  of  New  South  Wales,  Lord 
Hampden,  and  his  family  came  in  on  a  steam-yacht, 
sight-seeing.  The  Spray ^  anchored  near  the  land- 
ing-pier, threw  her  bunting  out,  of  com'se,  and 
probably  a  more  insignificant  craft  bearing  the 
Stars  and  Stripes  was  never  seen  in  those  waters. 
However,  the  governor's  party  seemed  to  know 
why  it  floated  there,  and  all  about  the  Spray,  and 
when  I  heard  his  Excellency  say,  "Introduce  me 
to  the  captain,"  or  "  Introduce  the  captain  to  me," 
whichever  it  was,  I  found  myself  at  once  in  the 
presence  of  a  gentleman  and  a  friend,  and  one 
greatly  interested  in  my  voyage.  If  any  one  of 
the  party  was  more  interested  than  the  governor 
himself,  it  was  the  Honorable  Margaret,  his  daugh- 
ter. On  leaving,  Lord  and  Lady  Hampden  promised 
to  rendezvous  with  me  on  board  the  Spray  at  the 
Paris  Exposition  in  1900.  "  If  we  live,"  they  said, 
and  I  added,  for  my  part,  "  Dangers  of  the  seas 
excepted." 

From  Beauty  Point  the  Spray  visited  George- 
town, near  the  mouth  of  the  river  Tamar.  This 
little  settlement,  I  believe,  marks  the  place  where 
the  first  footprints  were  made  by  whites  in  Tas- 
mania, though  it  never  grew  to  be  more  than  a 
hamlet. 

Considering  that  I  had  seen  something  of  the 


|(ll 


■    f! 


182 


SAILING  ALONE  ABOUND  THE  WORLD 


world,  and  finding  people  here  interested  in  adven- 
ture, I  talked  the  matter  over  before  my  first  audi- 
ence in  a  little  hall  by  the  country  road.  A  piano 
having  been  brought  in  from  a  neighbor's,  I  was 
helped  out  by  the  severe  thumping  it  got,  and  by  a 
"  Tommy  Atkins  "  song  from  a  strolling  comedian. 
People  came  from  a  great  distance,  and  the  atten- 
dance all  told  netted  the  house  about  three  pounds 
sterling.  The  owner  of  the  hall,  a  kind  lady  from 
Scotland,  would  take  no  rent,  and  so  my  lecture 
from  the  start  was  a  success. 

From  this  snug  little  place  I  made  sail  for  Dev- 
onport,  a  thriving  place  on  the  river  Mersey,  a  few 
hours'  sail  westward  along  the  coast,  and  fast 
becoming  the  most  important  port  in  Tasmania. 
Large  steamers  enter  there  now  and  carry  away 
great  cargoes  of  farm  produce,  but  the  Spray  was 
the  first  vessel  to  bring  the  Stars  and  Stripes  to  the 
port,  the  harbor-master.  Captain  Murray,  told  me, 
and  so  it  is  written  in  the  port  records.  For  the 
great  distinction  the  Spray  enjoyed  many  civilities 
while  she  rode  comfortably  at  anchor  in  her  port- 
duster  awning  that  covered  her  from  stem  to  stern. 

From  the  magistrate's  house, "  Malunnah,"  on  the 
point,  sh^  was  saluted  by  the  Jack  both  on  coming 
in  and  on  going  out,  and  dear  Mrs.  Aikenhead,  the 
mistress  of  Malunnah,  supplied  the  Spray  with  jams 
and  jellies  of  all  sorts,  by  the  case,  prepared  from 
the  fruits  of  her  own  rich  garden  —  enough  to  last 
all  the  way  home  and  to  spare.  Mrs.  Wood,  farther 
up  the  harbor,  put  up  bottles  of  raspberry  wine  for 
me.  At  this  point,  more  than  ever  before,  I  was  in 
the  land  of  good  cheer.    Mrs.  Powell  sent  on  board 


ABUNDANT  PROVISIONS 


183 


chutney  prepared  "  as  we  prepare  it  in  India.**  Fish 
and  game  were  plentiful  hero,  and  the  voice  of  the 
gobbler  was  heard,  and  from  Pardo,  farther  up  the 
country,  came  an  enormous  cheese ;  and  yet  people 


M 


The  Spray  in  her  port  duster  at  Devonport,  Tasmania, 
February  22,  1897. 

inquire :  "  What  did  you  live  on  T    What  did  you 
eat!" 

I  was  haunted  by  the  beauty  of  the  landscape  all 
about,  of  the  natural  ferneries  then  disappearing, 
and  of  the  domed  forest-trees  on  the  slopes,  and 
was  fortunate  in  meeting  a  gentleman  intent  on 


184 


SAILING  ALONE  ABOUND  THE  WORLD 


preserving  in  art  the  beauiies  of  his  country.  He 
presented  me  with  many  reproductions  from  his 
collection  of  pictures,  also  many  originals,  to  show 
to  my  friends. 

By  another  gentleman  I  was  charged  to  tell  the 
glories  of  Tasmania  in  every  land  and  on  every 
occasion.  This  was  Dr.  MoCall,  M.  L.  C.  The  doc- 
tor gave  me  useful  hints  on  lectr.ring.  It  was  not 
without  misgivings,  however,  that  I  filled  away  on 
this  new  course,  and  I  am  free  to  say  that  it  is  only 
by  the  kindness  of  sympathetic  audiences  that  my 
oratorical  bark  was  held  on  even  keel.  Soon 
after  my  first  talk  the  kind  doctor  came  to  me 
with  words  of  approval.  As  in  many  other  of 
my  enterprises,  I  had  gone  about  it  at  once  and 
without  second  thought.  "Man,  man,"  said  he, 
" great  nervousness  is  only  a  sign  of  brain,  and  the 
more  brain  a  man  has  the  longer  it  takes  him  to 
get  over  the  affliction ;  but,"  he  added  reflectively, 
"  you  will  get  over  it."  However,  in  my  own  behalf 
I  think  it  only  fair  to  say  that  I  am  not  yet  entirely 
cured. 

The  Spray  was  hauled  out  on  the  marine  railway 
at  Devonport  and  examined  carefully  top  and  bot- 
tom, but  was  found  absolutely  free  from  the  destruc- 
tive teredo,  and  sound  in  all  respects.  To  protect 
her  further  against  the  ravage  of  these  insects  the 
bottom  was  coated  once  more  with  copper  paint, 
for  she  would  have  to  sail  through  the  Coral  and 
Arafura  seas  before  refitting  again.  Everything 
was  done  to  fit  her  for  all  the  known  dangers.  But 
it  was  not  without  regret  that  I  looked  forward  to 
the  day  of  sailing  from  a  country  of  so  many  pleas- 


1 


AGAIN  AT  SYDNEY 


185 


jr.  He 
»in  bis 
)  show 

eU  the 
every 
le  doc- 
as  not 
v^ay  on 
Is  only 
lat  my 
Soon 
to  me 
her  of 
ce  and 
id  he, 
nd  the 
him  to 
itively, 
behalf 
Qtirely 

ailway 
id  bot- 
Bstruc- 
)rotect 
3ts  the 

paint, 
al  and 
lything 
But 
''ard  to 

pleas- 


ant associations.  If  there  was  a  moment  in  my 
voyage  when  I  could  have  given  it  up,  it  was  there 
and  then ;  but  no  vacancies  for  a  better  post  being 
open,  I  weighed  anchor  April  16, 1897,  and  again 
put  to  sea. 

The  season  of  summer  was  then  over;  winter 
was  rolling  up  from  the  south,  with  fair  winds  for 
the  north.  A  foretaste  of  winter  wind  sent  the 
Spray  flying  round  Cape  Howe  and  as  far  as  Cape 
Bundooro  farther  along,  which  she  passed  on  the 
following  day,  retracing  her  course  northward. 
This  was  a  fine  i*un,  and  boded  good  for  the  long 
voyage  home  from  the  antipodes.  My  old  Christ- 
mas friends  on  Bundooro  seemed  to  be  up  and 
moving  when  I  came  the  second  time  by  their  cape, 
and  we  exchanged  signals  again,  while  the  sloop 
sailed  along  as  before  in  a  smooth  sea  and  close  to 
the  shore. 

The  weather  was  fine,  with  clear  sky  the  rest  of 
the  passage  to  Port  Jackson  (Sydney),  where  the 
Spray  arrived  April  22,  1897,  and  anchored  in 
Watson's  Bay,  near  the  heads,  in  eight  fathoms  of 
water.  The  harbor  from  the  heads  to  Parramatta, 
up  the  river,  was  more  than  ever  alive  with  boats 
and  yachts  of  every  class.  It  was,  indeed,  a  scene 
of  animation,  hardly  equaled  in  any  other  part  of 
the  world. 

A  few  days  later  the  bay  was  flecked  with  tem- 
pestuous waves,  and  none  but  stout  ships  carried 
sail.  I  was  in  a  neighboring  hotel  then,  nursing  a 
neuralgia  which  I  had  picked  up  alongshore,  and 
had  only  that  moment  got  a  glance  of  just  the 
stern  of  a  large,  unmanageable  steamship  passing 


fi: 


■'}• 


•;i 


186 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  ffHE  WORLD 


the  range  of  my  window  as  she  forged  in  by  the 
point,  when  the  bell-boy  burst  into  my  room  shout- 
ing that  the  Spray  had  "  gone  bung.^  I  tumbled 
out  quickly,  to  learn  that  "bung"  meant  that  a 
large  steamship  had  run  into  her,  and  that  it  was 
the  one  of  which  I  saw  the  stern,  the  ether  end  of  her 
having  hit  the  Spray.  It  turned  out,  however,  that 
no  damage  was  done  beyond  the  loss  of  an  anchor 
and  chain,  which  from  the  shock  of  the  collision 
had  parted  at  the  hawse.  I  had  nothing  at  all  to 
complain  of,  though,  in  the  end,  for  the  captain, 
after  he  clubbed  his  ship,  took  the  Spray  m  tow 
up  the  harbor,  clear  of  all  dangers,  and  sent  her 
back  again,  in  charge  of  an  officer  and  three  men, 
to  her  anchorage  in  the  bay,  with  a  polite  note  say- 
ing he  would  repair  any  damages  done.  But  what 
yawing  about  she  made  of  it  when  she  came  with 
a  stranger  at  the  helm !  Her  old  friend  the  pilot 
of  the  Pinta  would  not  have  been  guilty  of  such 
lubberly  work.  But  to  my  great  delight  they  got 
her  into  a  berth,  and  the  neuralgia  left  me  then,  or 
was  forgotten.  The  captain  of  the  steamer,  like  a 
true  seaman,  kept  his  word,  and  his  agent,  Mr.  Col- 
lishaw  handed  me  on  the  very  next  day  the  price 
of  the  lost  anchor  and  chain,  with  something  over 
for  anxiety  of  mind.  I  remember  that  he  offered 
me  twelve  pounds  at  once ;  but  my  lucky  number 
being  thirteen,  we  made  the  amount  thirteen 
pounds,  which  squared  all  accounts. 

I  sailed  again.  May  9,  before  a  strong  southwest 
wind,  which  sent  the  Spray  gallantly  on  as  far  as 
Port  Stevens,  where  it  fell  calm  and  then  came  up 
ahead ;  but  the  weather  was  fine,  and  so  remained 


NORTHWARD  BOUND  FOR  TORRES  STRAIT       187 

for  many  days,  which  was  a  great  change  from  the 
state  of  the  weather  experienced  here  some  months 
before. 

Having  a  full  set  of  admiralty  sheet-charts  of  the 
coast  and  Barrier  Reef,  I  felt  easy  in  mind.  Cap- 
tain Fisher,  R.  N.,  who  had  steamed  through  the 
Barrier  passages  in  H.  M.  S.  Orlando ^  advised  me 
from  the  first  to  take  this  route,  and  I  did  not 
regret  coming  back  to  it  now. 

The  wind,  for  a  few  days  after  passing  Port 
Stevens,  Seal  Rocks,  and  Cape  Hawk,  was  light  and 
dead  ahead ;  but  these  points  are  photographed  on 
my  memory  from  the  trial  of  beating  round  them 
some  months  before  when  bound  the  other  way. 
But  now,  with  a  good  stock  of  books  on  board,  I 
fell  to  reading  day  and  night,  leaving  this  pleasant 
occupation  merely  to  trim  sails  or  tack,  or  to  lie 
down  and  rest,  while  the  Spray  nibbled  at  the  miles. 
I  tried  to  compare  my  state  with  that  of  old  cir- 
cumnavigators, who  sailed  exactly  over  the  route 
which  I  took  from  Cape  Verde  Islands  or  farther 
back  to  this  point  and  beyond,  but  there  was  no 
comparison  so  far  as  I  had  got.  Their  hardships 
and  romantic  escapes  —  those  of  them  who  escaped 
death  and  worse  sufferings  —  did  not  enter  into  my 
experience,  sailing  all  alone  around  the  world.  For 
me  is  left  to  tell  only  of  pleasant  experiences,  till 
finally  my  adventures  are  prosy  and  tame. 

I  had  just  finished  reading  some  of  the  most 
interesting  of  the  old  voyages  in  woe-begone  ships, 
and  was  already  near  Port  Macquarie,  on  my  own 
cruise,  when  I  made  out.  May  13,  a  modern  dandy 
craft  in  distress,  anchored  on  the  coast.    Standing 


it 


188 


SAILING  ALONE  ABOUND  THE  WORLD 


I! 


in  for  her,  I  found  that  she  was  the  cutter-yacht 
Akbar,^  which  had  sailed  from  Watson's  Bay  about 


<<  < 


Is  it  a-goin'  to  blow  t 


>» 


three  days  ahead  of  the  Spray ^  and  that  she  had 
run  at  once  into  trouble.    No  wonder  she  did  so. 

1  JJebar  was  not  her  registered  name,  whioh  need  not  be  told. 


AN  AMATEUR  SHIPWRECK 


180 


It  was  a  case  of  babes  in  the  wood  or  butterflies 
at  sea.  Her  owner,  on  his  maiden  voyage,  was  all 
duck  trousers;  the  captain,  distinguished  for  the 
enormous  yachtsman's  cap  he  wore,  was  a  Mur- 
rumbidgee  ^  whaler  before  he  took  command  of  the 
Akhar ;  and  the  navigating  officer,  poor  fellow,  was 
almost  as  deaf  as  a  post,  and  nearly  as  stiff  and 
immovable  as  a  post  in  the  ground.  These  three 
jolly  tars  comprised  the  crew.  None  of  them 
knew  more  about  the  sea  or  about  a  vessel  than  a 
newly  born  babe  knows  about  another  world. 
They  were  bound  for  New  Guinea,  so  they  said ; 
perhaps  it  was  as  well  that  three  tenderfeet  so 
tender  as  those  never  reached  that  destination. 

The  owner,  whom  I  had  met  before  he  sailed, 
wanted  to  race  the  poor  old  Spray  to  Thursday 
Island  en  route.  I  declined  the  challenge,  natu- 
rally, on  the  ground  of  the  unfairness  of  three 
young  yachtsmen  in  a  clipper  against  an  old  sailor 
all  alone  in  a  craft  of  coarse  build ;  besides  that,  I 
would  not  on  any  account  race  in  the  Coral  Sea. 

^^  Spray  ahoy!"  they  all  hailed  now.  "What's 
the  weather  goin'  t'  be  ?  Is  it  a-goin'  to  blow  ?  And 
don't  you  think  we  'd  better  go  back  t'  r-r-refit  ?  " 

I  thought,  "If  ever  you  get  back,  don't  refit," 
but  I  said :  "  Give  me  the  end  of  a  rope,  and  I  '11 
tow  you  into  yon  port  farther  along ;  and  on  your 
Jives,"  I  urged,  "  do  not  go  back  round  Cape  Hawk, 
for  it 's  winter  to  the  south  of  it." 

They  purposed  making  for  Newcastle  under  jury- 

1  The  MuiTumbidge6  is  a  small  river  winding  among  the  moun- 
tains of  Australia,  and  would  be  the  last  place  in  which  to  look  for 
a  whale. 


■iff-l 


100 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


sails ;  for  their  mainsail  had  been  blown  to  ribbons, 
even  the  jigger  had  been  blown  away,  and  her  rig- 
ging flew  at  loose  ends.  The  Akbar^  in  a  word, 
was  a  wreck. 

"  Up  anchor,''  I  shouted,  "  up  anchor,  and  let  me 
tow  you  into  Port  Macquarie^  twelve  miles  north 
of  this.'' 

"No,"  cried  the  owner;  "we  '11  go  back  to  New- 
castle. We  missed  Newcastle  on  the  way  coming ; 
we  did  n't  see  the  light,  and  it  was  not  thick, 
either."  This  ho  shouted  very  loud,  ostensibly 
for  my  hearing,  but  closer  even  than  necessary,  I 
thought,  to  the  ear  of  the  navigating  officer.  Again 
I  tried  to  persuade  them  to  be  towed  into  the  port 
of  refuge  so  near  at  hand.  It  would  have  cost  them 
only  the  trouble  of  weighing  their  anchor  and  pass- 
ing me  a  rope ;  of  this  I  assured  them,  but  they 
declined  even  this,  in  sheer  ignorance  of  a  rational 
course. 

"  What  is  your  depth  of  water  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Don't  know ;  we  lost  our  lead.  All  the  chain 
is  out.    We  sounded  with  the  anchor." 

"  Send  your  dinghy  over,  and  I  '11  give  you  a  lead." 

"  We  've  lost  our  dinghy,  too,"  they  cried. 

"  God  is  good,  else  you  would  have  lost  your- 
selves," and  "Farewell "  was  all  I  could  say. 

The  trifling  service  proffered  by  the  Sp^^ay  would 
have  saved  their  vessel. 

"  Eeport  us,"  they  cried,  as  I  stood  on  —  "  report 
us  with  sails  blown  away,  and  that  we  don't  care 
a  dash  and  are  not  afraid." 

"Then  there  is  no  hope  for  you,"  and  again 
**  Farewell." 


FRIENDS  ON  THE  AUSTRALIAN  COAST 


191 


ibbons, 
aer  rig- 
i  word, 

I  let  me 
s  nortb 

bo  New- 
joming ; 
t  thick, 
tensibly 
issary,  I 
Again 
the  port 
)st  them 
nd  pass- 
)ut  they 
rational 

he  chain 

1  a  lead.** 

i. 

st  yonr- 

r, 

%y  would 


T. 


- "  report 
on't  care 

id  again 


I  promised  I  would  report  them,  and  did  so  at 
the  first  opportunity,  and  out  of  humane  reasons  I 
do  so  again.  On  the  following  day  I  spoke  the 
steamship  Sherman,  bound  down  the  coast,  and  re- 
ported the  yacht  in  distress  and  that  it  would  be 
an  act  of  humanity  to  tow  her  somewhere  away 
from  her  exposed  position  on  an  open  coast.  That 
she  did  not  get  a  tow  from  the  steamer  was  Irom 
no  lack  of  funds  to  pay  the  bill ;  for  the  owner, 
lately  heir  to  a  few  hundred  pounds,  had  the  money 
with  him.  The  proposed  voyage  to  New  Guinea 
was  to  look  that  island  over  with  a  view  to  its  pur- 
chase. It  was  about  eighteen  days  before  I  heard 
of  the  Akbar  again,  which  was  on  the  31st  of  May, 
when  I  reached  Cooktown,  on  the  Endeavor  River, 
where  I  found  this  news : 

May  31,  the  yacht  Akbar y  from  Sydney  for  New  Guinea, 
three  hands  on  board,  lost  at  Crescent  Head  j  the  crew 
saved. 

So  it  took  them  several  days  to  lose  the  yacht, 
after  all. 

After  speaking  the  distressed  Akhar  and  the 
Sherman,  the  voyage  for  many  days  was  unevent- 
ful save  in  the  pleasant  incident  on  May  16  of  a 
chat  by  signal  with  the  people  on  South  Solitary 
Island,  a  dreary  stone  heap  in  the  ocean  just  of! 
the  coast  of  New  South  Wales,  in  latitude  30°  12' 
south. 

"  What  vessel  is  that  f  "  they  asked,  as  the  sloop 
came  abreast  of  their  island.  For  answer  I  tried 
them  with  the  Stars  and  Stripes  at  the  peak. 
Down  came  their  signals  at  once,  and  up  went  the 


!,  '% 


:'  ¥1 


I'M 


Li" 


192 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


•! 


li 


British  ensign  instead,  which  they  dipped  heartily, 
I  understood  from  this  that  they  made  out  my 
vessel  and  knew  all  about  her,  for  they  asked 
no  more  questions.  They  did  n't  even  ask  if  the 
"voyage  would  pay,"  but  they  threw  out  this 
friendly  message,  "Wishing  you  a  pleasant  voy- 
age," which  at  that  very  moment  I  was  having. 

May  19  the  Spray^  passing  the  Tweed  River, 
was  signaled  from  Danger  Point,  where  those  on 
shore  seemed  most  anxious  about  the  state  of  my 
health,  for  they  asked  if  "  all  hands  "  were  well,  to 
which  I  could  say,  "  Yes." 

On  the  following  day  the  Spray  rounded  Great 
Sandy  Cape,  and,  what  is  a  notable  event  in  every 
voyage,  picked  up  the  trade-winds,  and  these  winds 
followed  her  now  for  many  thousands  of  miles, 
never  ceasing  to  blow  from  a  moderate  gale  to  a 
mild  summer  breeze,  except  at  rare  intervals. 

From  the  pitch  of  the  cape  was  a  noble  light  seen 
twenty-seven  miles;  passing  from  this  to  Lady 
Elliott  Light,  which  stands  on  an  island  as  a  senti- 
nel at  the  gateway  of  the  Barrier  Eeef,  the  Spray 
was  at  once  in  the  fairway  leading  north.  Poets 
have  sung  of  beacon-light  and  of  pharos,  but  did 
ever  poet  behold  a  great  light  flash  up  before  his 
path  on  a  dark  night  in  the  midst  of  a  coral  sea  I 
If  so,  he  knew  the  meaning  of  his  song. 

The  Spray  had  sailed  for  hours  in  suspense,  evi- 
dently stemming  a  current.  Almost  mad  with 
doubt,  I  grasped  the  helm  to  throw  her  head  off 
shore,  when  blazing  out  of  the  sea  was  the  light 
ahead.  "  Excalibur  ! "  cried  "  all  hands,"  and  re- 
joiced, and  sailed  on.    The  Spray  was  now  in  a 


PERILS  OF  A  CORAL  SEA 


193 


'^:  Hi 


protected  sea  and  smooth  water,  the  first  she  had 
dipped  her  keel  into  since  leaving  Gibraltar,  and  a 
change  it  was  from  the  heaving  of  the  misnamed 
"  Pacific  "  Ocean. 

The  Pacific  is  perhaps,  apon  the  whole,  no  more 
boisterous  than  other  oceans,  though  I  feel  quite 
safe  in  saying  that  it  is  not  more  pacific  except  in 
name.  It  is  often  wild  enough  in  one  part  or  an- 
other. I  once  knew  a  writer  who,  after  saying 
beautiful  things  about  the  sea,  passed  through  a 
Pacific  hurricane,  and  he  became  a  changed  man. 
But  where,  after  all,  would  be  the  poetry  of  the  sea 
were  there  no  wild  waves  ?  At  last  here  was  the 
Spray  in  the  midst  of  a  sea  of  coral.  The  sea  itself 
might  be  called  smooth  indeed,  but  coral  rocks  are 
always  rough,  sharp,  and  dangerous.  I  trusted  now 
to  the  mercies  of  the  Maker  of  all  reefs,  keeping  a 
good  lookout  at  the  same  time  for  perils  on  every 
hand. 

Lol  the  Barrier  Eeef  and  the  waters  of  many 
colors  studded  all  about  with  enchanted  islands! 
I  behold  among  them  after  all  many  safe  harbors, 
else  my  vision  is  astray.  On  the  24th  of  May,  the 
sloop,  having  made  one  hundred  and  ten  miles  a 
day  from  Danger  Point,  now  entered  Whitsunday 
Pass,  and  that  night  sailed  through  among  the 
islands.  When  the  sun  rose  next  morning  I  looked 
back  and  regretted  having  gone  by  while  it  was 
dark,  for  the  scenery  far  astern  was  varied  and 
charming. 


18 


m 


I .'  J 


CHAPTER  XV 


Arrival  at  Port  Denison,  Queensland  —  A  lecture  —  Beminiscencei 
of  Captain  Cook — Lecturing  for  charity  at  Cooktown  — A  happy 
escape  from  a  coral  reef  —  Home  Island,  Sunday  Island,  Bird 
Island  —  An  American  peari-fisherman  —  Jubilee  at  Thursday 
Island  —  A  new  ensign  for  the  Spray — Booby  Island  —  Across  the 
Indian  Ocean  —  Christmas  Island. 


ON  the  morning  of  the  26th  Gloucester  Island 
was  close  aboard,  and  the  Spra"*  anchored  in 
the  evening  at  Port  Denison,  where  rests,  on  a  hill, 
the  sweet  little  town  of  Bowen,  the  future  water- 
ing place  and  health-resort  of  Queensland.  The 
country  all  about  here  had  a  healthful  appearance. 

The  harbor  was  easy  of  approach,  spacious  and 
safe,  and  afforded  excellent  holding-ground.  It 
was  quiet  in  Bowen  when  the  Spray  arrived,  and 
the  good  people  with  an  hour  to  throw  away  on 
the  second  evening  of  her  arrival  came  down  to  the 
School  of  Arts  to  talk  about  the  voyage,  it  being 
the  latest  event.  It  was  duly  advertised  in  the  two 
little  papers,  "  Boomerang  ^  and  "  Nully  Nully,''  in 
the  one  the  day  before  the  affair  came  off,  and 
in  the  other  the  day  after,  which  was  all  the  same 
to  the  editor,  and,  for  that  matter,  it  was  the 
same  to  me. 

Besides  this,  circulars  were  distributed  with  a 
flourish,  and  the  "  best  bellman  "  in  Australia  was 

194 


A  LECTURE 


196 


inisoenoef 
-  A  happy 
and,  Bird 
Thursday 
Vcross  the 


Island 
ored  in 
a  a  hill, 
I  water- 
i.  The 
larance. 
)us  and 
id.  It 
ed,  and 
way  on 
1  to  the 
being 
the  two 
illy,"  in 
)ff,  and 
le  same 
ras  the 

with  a 
lia  was 


employed.  But  I  could  have  keelhauled  the  wretch, 
bell  and  all,  when  he  came  to  the  door  of  the  little 
hotel  where  my  prospective  audience  and  I  were 
dining,  and  with  his  clattering  bell  and  fiendish 
yell  made  noises  that  would  awake  the  dead,  all 
over  the  voyage  of  the  Spray  from  "  Boston  to 
Bowen,  the  two  Hubs  in  the  cart-wheels  of  crea- 
tion," as  the  "  Boomerang  "  afterward  said. 

Mr.  Myles,  magistrate,  harbor-master,  land  com- 
missioner, gold  warden,  etc.,  was  chairman,  and  in- 
troduced me,  for  what  reason  I  never  knew,  except 
to  embarrass  me  with  a  sense  of  vain  ostentation 
and  embitter  my  life,  for  Heaven  knows  I  had  met 
every  porson  in  town  the  first  hour  ashore.  I  knew 
them  all  by  name  now,  and  they  aU  knew  me. 
However,  Mr.  Myles  was  a  good  talker.  Indeed,  I 
tried  to  induce  him  to  go  on  and  tell  the  story 
while  I  showed  the  pictures,  but  this  he  refused  to 
do.  I  may  explain  that  it  was  a  talk  illustrated  by 
stereopticon.  The  views  were  good,  but  the  lan- 
tern, a  thirty-shilling  affair,  was  wretched,  and  had 
only  an  oil-lamp  in  it. 

I^sailed  early  the  next  morning  before  the  papers 
came  out,  thinking  it  best  to  do  so.  They  each 
appeared  with  a  favorable  column,  however,  of 
what  they  called  a  lecture,  so  I  learned  afterward, 
and  they  had  a  kind  word  for  the  bellman  besides. 

From  Port  Denison  the  sloop  ran  before  the  con- 
stant trade-wind,  and  made  no  stop  at  all,  night  or 
day,  till  she  reached  Cooktown,  on  the  Endeavor 
River,  where  she  arrived  Monday,  May  31,  1897, 
before  a  furious  blast  of  wind  encountered  that 
day  fifty  miles  down  the  coast.    On  this  parallel  of 


n: 


'\i 


■   :     1 


ik\ 


iiiiiii 


1 '  i 


196 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


I 


latitude  is  the  high  ridge  and  backbone  of  the  trade- 
winds,  which  about  Cooktown  amount  often  to  a 
hard  gale. 

I  had  been  charged  to  navigate  the  route  with 
extra  care,  and  to  feel  my  way  over  the  ground. 
The  skilled  officer  of  the  royal  navy  who  advised 
me  to  take  the  Barrier  Eeef  passage  wrote  me  that 
H.  M.  S.  Orlando  steamed  nights  as  well  as  days 
through  it,  but  that  I,  under  sail,  would  jeopardize 
my  vessel  on  coral  reefs  if  I  undertook  to  do  so. 

Confidentially,  it  would  have  been  no  easy  matter 
finding  anchorage  every  night.  The  hard  work, 
too,  of  getting  the  sloop  under  way  every  morning 
was  finished,  I  had  hoped,  when  she  cleared  the 
Strait  of  Magellan.  Besides  that,  the  best  of  ad- 
miralty charts  made  it  possible  to  keep  on  sailing 
night  and  day.  Indeed,  with  a  fair  wind,  and  in 
the  clear  weather  of  that  season,  the  way  through 
the  Barrier  Eeef  Channel,  in  all  sincerity,  was 
clearer  than  a  highway  in  a  busy  city,  and  by  all 
odds  less  dangerous.  But  to  any  one  contemplat- 
ing the  voyage  I  would  say,  beware  of  reefs  day 
or  night,  or,  remaining  on  the  land,  be  wary  still. 

"  The  Spray  came  flying  into  port  like  a  bird," 
said  the'  longshore  daily  papers  of  Cooktown  the 
morning  after  she  arrived ;  "  and  it  seemed  strange,** 
they  added,  "  that  only  one  man  could  be  seen  on 
board  working  the  craft."  The  Spray  was  doing 
her  best,  to  be  sure,  for  it  was  near  night,  and  she 
was  in  haste  to  find  a  perch  before  dark. 

Tacking  inside  of  all  the  craft  in  port,  I  moored 
her  at  sunset  nearly  abreast  the  Captain  Cook 
monument,  and   next   morning  went  ashore   to 


REMINISCENCES  OP  CAPTAIN  COOK 


107 


3  trade- 
m  to  a 

ie  with 
ground, 
idvised 
ae  that 
,s  days 
pardize 
)  so. 
matter 

work, 
orning 
ed  the 
of  ad- 
sailing 
and  in 
irough 
y,  was 

by  all 
mplat- 
fs  day 
y  still. 

bird,'' 
wn  the 
'ange," 
een  on 

doing 
nd  she 

noored 

Cook 

ore   to 


feast  my  eyes  on  the  very  stones  the  great  naviga- 
tor had  seen,  for  I  was  now  on  a  seaman's  conse- 
crated ground.    But  there  seemed  a  question  in 


The  Spray  leaving  Sydney,  Australia,  m  the  new  suit  of  sails  given 
hy  Commodore  Foy  of  Australia. 
(From  a  photograph.) 

Cooktown's  mind  as  to  the  exact  spot  where  his 
ship,  the  Endeavor,  hove  down  for  repairs  on  her 
memorable  voyage  around  the  world.  Some  said  it 
was  not  at  all  at  the  place  where  the  monument 


\f. 


I;:  I 


198 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WOBLD 


now  stood.  A  discussion  of  the  subject  was  going 
on  one  morning  where  I  happened  to  be,  and  a 
young  lady  present,  turning  to  me  as  one  of  some 
authority  in  nautical  matters,  very  flatteringly 
asked  my  opinion.  Well,  I  could  see  no  reason  why 
Captain  Cook,  if  he  made  up  his  mind  to  repair  his 
ship  inland,  could  n't  have  dredged  out  a  channel 
to  the  place  where  the  monument  now  stood,  if  he 
had  a  dredging-machine  with  him,  and  afterward 
fill  it  up  again;  for  Captain  Cook  could  do  'most 
anything,  and  nobody  ever  said  that  he  had  n't  a 
dredger  along.  The  young  lady  seemed  to  lean  to 
my  way  of  thinking,  and  following  up  the  story  of 
the  historical  voyage,  asked  if  I  had  visited  the 
point  farther  down  the  harbor  where  the  great  cir- 
cumnavigator was  murdered.  This  took  my  breath, 
but  a  bright  school-boy  coming  along  relieved  my 
embarrassment,  for,  like  all  boys,  seeing  that  infor- 
mation was  wanted,  he  volunteered  to  supply  it. 
Said  he :  "  Captain  Cook  was  n't  murdered  'ere  at 
all,  ma'am  ;  'e  was  killed  in  Hafrica :  a  lion  et  'im." 
Here  I  was  reminded  of  distressful  days  gone 
by.  I  think  it  was  in  1866  that  the  old  steamship 
Soushay,  from  Batavia  for  Sydney,  put  in  at  Cook- 
town  for  scurvy-grass,  as  I  always  thought,  and 
"  incidentally  "  to  land  mails.  On  her  sick-list  was 
my  fevered  self ;  and  so  I  did  n't  see  the  place  till 
I  came  back  on  the  Spray  thirty-one  years  later. 
And  now  I  saw  coming  into  port  the  physical 
wrecks  of  miners  from  New  Guinea,  destitute  and 
dying.  Many  had  died  on  the  way  and  had  been 
buried  at  sea.    He  would  have  been,  a  hardened 


LECTURING  FOE  CHARITY  AT  COOKTOWN        199 


wretch  who  could  look  on  and  not  try  to  do  some- 
thing for  them. 

The  synpathy  of  all  went  out  to  these  sufferers, 
but  the  little  town  was  already  straitened  from  a 
long  run  on  its  benevolence.  I  thought  of  the 
matter,  of  the  lady's  gift  to  me  at  Tasmania,  which 
I  had  promised  myself  I  would  keep  only  as  a  loan, 
but  found  now,  to  my  embarrassment,  that  I  had 
invested  the  money.  However,  the  good  Cooktown 
people  wished  to  hear  a  story  of  the  sea,  and  how 
the  crew  of  the  Spray  fared  when  illness  got  aboard 
of  her.  Accordingly  the  little  Presbyterian  church 
on  the  hill  was  opened  for  a  conversation ;  every- 
body talked,  and  they  made  a  roaring  success  of  it. 
Judge  Chester,  the  magistrate,  was  at  the  head  of 
the  gam,  and  so  it  was  bound  to  succeed.  He  it 
was  who  annexed  the  island  of  New  Guinea  to 
Great  Britain.  "While  I  was  about  it,"  said  he, 
"  I  annexed  the  blooming  lot  of  it."  There  was  a 
ring  in  the  statement  pleasant  to  the  ear  of  an  old 
voyager.  However,  the  Germans  made  such  a  row 
over  the  judge's  mainsail  haul  that  they  got  a  share 
in  the  venture. 

Well,  I  was  now  indebted  to  the  miners  of  Cook- 
town  for  the  great  privilege  of  adding  a  mite  to  a 
worthy  cause,  and  to  Judge  Chester  all  the  town 
was  indebted  for  a  general  good  time.  The  matter 
standing  so,  I  sailed  on  June  6, 1897,  heading  away 
for  the  north  as  before. 

Arrived  at  a  very  inviting  anchorage  about  sun- 
down, the  7th,  I  came  to,  for  the  night,  abreast  the 
Claremont  light-ship.      This  was  the  only  time 


200 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THS  WORLD 


,; 


thronghout  the  passage  of  the  Barrier  Reef  Chan- 
nel that  the  Spray  anchored,  except  at  Port  Denison 
and  at  Endeavor  River.  On  the  very  night  follow- 
ing this,  however  (the  8th),  I  regretted  keenly,  for 
an  instant,  that  I  had  not  anchored  before  dark,  as 
I  might  have  done  easily  under  the  lee  of  a  coral 
reef.  It  happened  in  this  way.  The  Spray  had 
just  passed  M  Reef  light-ship,  and  left  the  light 
dipping  astern,  when,  going  at  full  speed,  with 
sheets  off,  she  hit  the  M  Reef  itself  on  the  north 
end,  where  I  expected  to  see  a  beacon. 

She  swung  off  quickly  on  her  heel,  however,  and 
with  one  more  bound  on  a  swell  cut  across  the  shoal 
point  so  quickly  that  I  hardly  knew  how  it  was 
done.  The  beacon  was  n't  there ;  at  least,  I  did  n't 
see  it.  I  had  n't  time  to  look  for  it  after  she  struck, 
and  certainly  it  did  n't  much  matter  then  whether 
I  saw  it  or  not. 

But  this  gave  her  a  fine  departure  for  Cape 
Greenville,  the  next  point  ahead.  I  saw  the  ugly 
boulders  under  the  sloop's  keel  as  she  flashed  over 
them,  and  I  made  a  mental  note  of  it  that  the  letter 
M,  for  which  the  reef  was  named,  was  the  thirteenth 
one  in  our  alphabet,  and  that  thirteen,  as  noted 
years  before,  was  still  my  lucky  number.  The  na- 
tives of  Cape  Greenville  are  notoriously  bad,  and  I 
was  advised  to  give  them  the  go-by.  Accordingly, 
from  M  Reef  I  steered  outside  of  the  adjacent  is- 
lands, to  be  on  the  safe  side.  Skipping  along  now, 
the  Spray  passed  Home  Island,  off  the  pitch  of  the 
cape,  soon  after  midnight,  and  squared  away  on  a 
westerly  course.  A  short  time  later  she  fell  in  with 
a  steamer  bound  south,  groping  her  way  in  the 


HOME  ISLAND,  SUNDAY  ISLAND,  BIRD  ISLAND       201 


I  'I 


]Jliaii- 

Qison 

>llow- 

y,  for 

rk,  as 

coral 

/  had 
light 
with 

north 

r,  and 
I  shoal 
it  was 
lid  n't 
truck, 
lether 

Cape 
eugly 
d  over 
) letter 
teenth 
noted 
he  na- 
and  I 
iingly, 
ent  is- 
g  now, 
of  the 
y  on  a 
n  with 
in  the 


dark  and  making  the  night  dismal  with  her  own 
black  smoke. 

From  Home  Island  I  made  for  Sunday  Island, 
and  bringing  that  abeam,  shortened  sail,  not  wish- 
ing to  make  Bird  Island,  farther  along,  before 
daylight,  the  wind  being  still  fresh  and  the  islands 
being  low,  with  dangers  about  them.  Wednesday, 
June  9,  1897,  at  daylight.  Bird  Island  was  dead 
ahead,  distant  two  and  a  half  miles,  which  I  con- 
sidered near  enough.  A  strong  current  was  press- 
ing the  sloop  forward.  I  did  not  shorten  sail  too 
soon  in  the  night !  The  first  and  only  Australian 
canoe  seen  on  the  voyage  was  encountered  here 
standing  from  the  mainland,  with  a  rag  of  sail  set, 
bound  for  this  island, 

A  long,  slim  fish  that  leaped  on  board  in  the 
night  was  found  on  deck  this  morning.  I  had 
it  for  breakfast.  The  spry  chap  was  no  larger 
around  than  a  herring,  which  it  resembled  in 
every  respect,  except  that  it  was  three  times  as 
long;  but  that  was  so  much  the  better,  for  I  am 
rather  fond  of  fresh  herring,  anyway.  A  great 
number  of  fisher-birds  were  about  this  day,  which 
was  one  of  the  pleasantest  on  God's  earth.  The 
Spray,  dancing  over  the  waves,  entered  Albany 
Pass  as  the  sun  drew  low  in  the  west  over  the 
hills  of  Australia. 

At  7:30  P.M.  the  Spray,  now  through  the  pass, 
came  to  anchor  in  a  cove  in  the  mainland,  near  a 
pearl-fisherman,  called  the  Tarawa,  which  was  at 
anchor,  her  captain  from  the  deck  of  his  vessel  di- 
recting me  to  a  berth.  This  done,  he  at  once  came 
on  board  to  clasp  hands.    The  Tarawa  was  a  Cali- 


>1  ?!< 


•  1 


202 


SAILING  ALONE  ABOUND  THE  WORLD 


fornian,  and  Captain  Jones,  her  master,  was  an 
American. 

On  the  following  morning  Captain  Jones  brought 
on  board  two  pairs  of  exquisite  pearl  shells,  the 
most  perfect  ones  I  ever  saw.  They  were  probably 
the  best  he  had,  for  Jones  was  the  heart-yarn  of  a 
sailor.  He  assured  me  that  if  I  would  remain  a 
few  hours  longer  some  friends  from  Somerset,  near 
by,  would  pay  us  all  a  visit,  and  one  of  the  crew, 
sorting  shells  on  deck,  "guessed"  they  would. 
The  mate  "  guessed  "  so,  too.  The  friends  came,  as 
even  the  second  mate  and  cook  had  "  guessed '^  they 
would.  They  were  Mr.  Jardine,  stockman,  famous 
throughout  the  land,  and  his  family.  Mrs.  Jardine 
was  the  niece  of  King  Malietoa,  and  cousin  to  the 
beautiful  Faamu-Sami  ("  To  make  the  sea  burn  % 
who  visited  the  Spray  at  Apia.  Mr.  Jardine  was 
himself  a  fine  specimen  of  a  Scotsman.  With  his 
little  family  about  him,  he  was  content  to  live  in 
this  remote  place,  accumulating  the  comforts  of 
life. 

The  fact  of  the  Tarawa  having  been  built  in 
America  accounted  for  the  crew,  boy  Jim  and  all, 
being  such  good  guessers.  Strangely  enough, 
though.  Captain  Jones  himself,  the  only  American 
aboard,  was  never  heard  to  guess  at  all. 

After  a  pleasant  chat  and  good-by  to  the  people 
of  the  Tarawa,  and  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jardine,  I 
again  weighed  anchor  and  stood  across  for  Thurs- 
day Island,  now  in  plain  view,  mid-channel  in 
Torres  Strait,  where  I  arrived  shortly  after  noon. 
Here  the  Spray  remained  over  until  June  24.  Being 
the  only  American  representative  in  port,  this  tarry 


JUBILEE  AT  THURSDAY  ISLAND 


203 


ras  an 

•ought 
Is,  the 
>bably 
•n  of  a 
aain  a 
t,  near 
)  crew, 
would, 
^me,  as 
L**  they 
amous 
ardine 
to  the 
)urn  '*), 
le  was 
ith  his 
live  in 
)rts  of 

uilt  in 
nd  all, 

QOUgh, 

lerican 

people 
line,  I 
Thurs- 
nel  in 
noon. 
Being 
starry 


was  imperative,  for  on  the  22d  was  the  Queen's 
diamond  j  ubilee.  The  two  days  over  were,  as  sailors 
say,  for  *'  coming  up.*' 

Meanwhile  I  spent  pleasant  days  about  the  island. 
Mr.  Douglas,  resident  magistrate,  invited  me  on  a 
cruise  in  his  steamer  one  day  among  the  islands  in 
Torres  Strait.  This  being  a  scientific  expedition 
in  charge  of  Professor  Mason  Bailey,  botanist,  we 
rambled  over  Friday  and  Saturday  islands,  where 
I  got  a  glimpse  of  botany.  Miss  Bailey,  the  pro- 
fessor's daughter,  accompanied  the  expedition,  and 
told  me  of  many  indigenous  plants  with  long  names. 

The  22d  was  the  great  day  on  Thursday  Island, 
for  then  we  had  not  only  the  jubilee,  but  a  jubilee 
with  a  grand  corroboree  in  it,  Mr.  Douglas  having 
brought  some  four  hundred  native  warriors  and 
their  wives  and  children  across  from  the  mainland 
to  give  the  celebration  the  true  native  touch,  for 
when  they  do  a  thing  on  Thursday  Island  they  do 
it  with  a  roar.  The  corroboree  was,  at  any  rate,  a 
howling  success.  It  took  place  at  night,  and  the 
performers,  painted  in  fantastic  colors,  danced  or 
leaped  about  before  a  blazing  fire.  Some  were 
rigged  and  painted  like  birds  and  beasts,  in  which 
the  emu  and  kangaroo  were  well  represented.  One 
fellow  leaped  like  a  frog.  Some  had  the  human 
skeleton  painted  on  their  bodies,  while  they  jumped 
about  threateningly,  spear  in  hand,  ready  to  strike 
down  some  imaginary  enemy.  The  kangaroo 
hopped  and  danced  with  natural  ease  and  grace, 
making  a  fine  figure.  All  kept  time  to  music,  vocal 
and  instrumental,  the  instruments  (save  the  mark  I) 
i>eing  bits  of  wood,  which  they  beat  one  against 


) 


H     il 


I 


204 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


the  other,  and  saucer-like  bones,  held  in  the  palm 
of  the  hands,  which  they  knocked  together,  making 
a  dull  sound.  It  was  a  show  at  once  amusing, 
spectacular,  and  hideous. 

The  warrior  aborigines  that  I  saw  in  Queensland 
were  for  the  most  part  lithe  and  fairly  well  built, 
but  they  were  stamped  always  with  repulsive  fea- 
tures, and  their  women  were,  if  possible,  still  more 
ill  favored. 

I  observed  that  on  the  day  of  the  jubilee  no  for- 
eign flag  was  waving  in  the  public  gi'ounds  except 
the  Stars  and  Stripes,  which  along  with  the  Union 
Jack  guarded  the  gateway,  and  floated  in  many 
places,  from  the  tiniest  to  the  standard  size.  Speak- 
ing to  Mr.  Douglas,  I  ventured  a  remark  on  this 
compliment  to  my  country.  "Oh,"  said  he,  "this 
is  a  family  affair,  and  we  do  not  consider  the  Stars 
and  Stripes  a  foreign  flag."  The  Spray  of  course 
flew  her  best  bunting,  and  hoisted  the  Jack  as  well 
as  her  own  noble  flag  as  high  as  she  could. 

On  June  24  the  Spray,  well  fitted  in  every  way, 
sailed  for  the  long  voyage  ahead,  down  the  InrJian 
Ocean.  Mr.  Douglas  gave  her  a  flag  as  she  was 
leaving  his  island.  The  Spray  had  now  passed 
nearly  a;ll  the  dangers  of  the  Coral  Sea  and  Torres 
Strait,  which,  indeed,  were  not  a  few ;  and  all  ahead 
from  this  point  was  plain  sailing  and  a  straight 
course.  The  trade-wind  was  still  blowing  fresh, 
and  could  be  safely  counted  on  now  down  to  the 
coast  of  Madagascar,  if  not  beyond  that,  for  it  waa 
still  early  in  the  season. 

I  had  no  wish  to  arrive  off  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope  before  midsummer,  and  it  was  now  early 


BOOBY  ISLAND 


206 


palm 
aking 
using, 

island 

built, 

e  fea- 

.  more 

LO  for- 
3xcept 
Union 
many 
5peak- 
n  this 
"  this 
Stars 
Bourse 
LS  well 

r  way, 
nrJian 
e  was 
passed 
forred 
ahead 
iraight 
fresh, 
to  the 
it  was 

Good 
early 


winter.  I  had  been  off  that  cape  once  in  July, 
which  was,  of  course,  midwinter  there.  The  stout 
ship  I  then  commanded  encountered  only  fierce 
hurricanes,  and  she  bore  them  ill.  I  wished  for  no 
winter  gales  now.  It  was  not  that  I  feared  tho»^ 
more,  being  in  the  Spray  instead  of  a  large  sL 
but  that  I  preferred  fine  weather  in  any  case.  It  i 
true  that  one  may  encounter  heavy  gales  off  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope  at  any  season  of  the  year,  but 
in  the  summer  they  are  less  frequent  and  do  not 
continue  so  long.  And  so  with  time  enough  before 
me  to  admit  of  a  run  ashore  on  the  islands  en  route, 
I  shaped  the  course  now  for  Keeling  Cocos,  atoll 
islands,  distant  twenty-seven  hundred  miles.  Tak- 
ing a  departure  from  Booby  Island,  which  the  sloop 
ppssed  early  in  the  day,  I  decided  to  sight  Timor 
on  the  way,  an  island  of  high  mountains. 

Booby  Island  I  had  seen  before,  but  only  once, 
however,  and  that  was  when  in  the  steamship 
Soiishay,  onw  hich  I  was  "  hove-dowu  "  in  a  fever. 
When  she  steamed  along  this  way  I  was  well  enough 
to  crawl  on  deck  to  look  at  Booby  Island.  Had  I 
died  for  it,  I  would  have  seen  that  island.  In  those 
days  passing  ships  landed  stores  in  a  cave  on  the 
island  for  shipwrecked  and  distressed  wayfarers. 
Captain  Airy  of  the  Soushay,  a  good  man,  sent  a 
boat  to  the  cave  with  his  contribution  to  the  general 
store.  The  stores  were  landed  in  safety,  and  the 
boat,  returning,  brought  back  from  the  improvised 
post-office  there  a  dozen  or  more  letters,  most  of 
them  left  by  whalemen,  with  the  request  that  the 
first  homeward-bound  ship  would  carry  them  along 
and  see  to  their  mailing,  which  had  been  the  cus^ 


m 


^^v 


206 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WOLLD 


torn  of  this  strange  postal  service  for  many  years. 
Some  of  the  letters  brought  back  by  our  boat  were 
directed  to  New  Bedford,  and  some  to  Fairhaven, 
Massachusetts. 

There  is  a  light  to-day  on  Booby  Island,  and 
regular  packet  communication  with  the  rest  of  the 
world,  and  the  beautiful  uncertainty  of  the  fate  of 
letters  left  there  is  a  thing  of  the  past.  I  made  no 
call  at  the  little  island,  but  standing  close  in,  ex- 
changed signals  with  the  keeper  of  the  light.  Sail- 
ing on,  the  sloop  was  at  once  in  the  Arafura  Sea, 
where  for  days  she  sailed  in  water  milky  white  and 
green  and  purple.  It  was  my  good  fortune  to  enter 
the  sea  on  the  last  quarter  of  the  moon,  the  advan- 
tage being  that  in  the  dark  nights  I  witnessed  the 
phosphorescent  light  effect  at  night  in  its  greatest 
splendor.  The  sea,  where  the  sloop  disturbed  it, 
seemed  all  ablaze,  so  that  by  its  light  I  could  see 
the  smallest  articles  on  deck,  and  her  wake  was  a 
path  of  fire. 

On  the  25th  of  June  the  sloop  was  already  clear 
of  all  the  shoals  and  dangers,  and  was  sailing  on  a 
smooth  sea  as  steadily  as  before,  but  with  speed 
somewhat  slackened.  I  got  out  the  flying-jib  made 
at  Juan, Fernandez,  and  set  it  as  a  spinnaker  from 
ihe  stoutest  bamboo  that  Mrs.  Stevenson  had  given 
me  at  Samoa.  The  spinnaker  pulled  like  a  sodger, 
and  the  bamboo  holding  its  own,  the  Sjpray  mended 
her  pace. 

Several  pigeons  flying  across  to-day  from  Aus- 
tralia toward  the  islands  bent  their  course  over  the 
Spray,  Smaller  birds  were  seen  fljring  in  the  op- 
posite direction.    In  the  part  of  the  Arafura  that  I 


ACROSS  THE  INDIAN  OCEAN 


207 


years. 
Lt  were 
haven, 

d,  and 
of  the 
fate  of 
ade  no 
in,  ex- 
Sail- 
•a  Sea, 
te  and 

0  enter 
sidvan- 
ed  the 
reatest 
bed  it, 
Id  see 
was  a 

f  clear 

g  on  a 

speed 

1  made 
'  from 
given 

odger, 
ended 

Ans- 
er  the 
le  op- 
thatl 


came  to  first,  where  it  was  shallow,  sea-snakes 
writhed  about  on  the  surface  and  tumbled  over 
and  over  in  the  waves.  As  the  sloop  sailed  farther 
on,  where  the  sea  became  deep,  they  disappeared. 
In  the  ocean,  where  the  water  is  blue,  not  one  was 
ever  seen. 

In  the  days  of  serene  weather  thore  was  not  much 
to  do  but  to  read  and  take  rest  on  the  Spray,  to 
make  up  as  much  as  possible  for  the  rough  time 
off  Cape  Horn,  which  was  not  yet  forgotten,  and 
to  forestall  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  by  a  store  of 
ease.  My  sea  journal  was  now  much  the  same 
from  day  to  day — something  like  this  of  June  26 
and  27,  for  example : 

June  26,  in  the  morning,  it  is  a  bit  squally  j  later  in 
the  day  blowing  a  steady  breeze. 

On  the  log  at  noon  is 130  miles 

Subtract  correction  for  slip 10 


(( 


Add  for  current 


120     " 
10     " 

130     « 


Latitude  by  observation  at  noon,  10°  23'  S. 
Longitude  as  per  mark  on  the  chart. 

There  was  n't  much  brain-work  in  that  log,  I  'm 
sure.  June  27  makes  a  better  showing,  when  all 
is  told : 

First  of  all,  to-day,  was.  a  flying-flsh  on  deck ;  fried  it 
in  butter. 

133  miles  on  the  log. 

For  slip,  off,  and  for  current,  on,  as  per  guess,  about 
equal  —  let  it  go  at  that. 

Latitude  by  observation  at  noon,  10**  25'  S. 


m 


■T.i^ 


1 9 


208 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


For  several  days  now  the  Spray  sailed  west  on 
the  parallel  of  10°  25'  S.,  as  true  as  a  hair.  If  she 
deviated  at  all  from  that,  through  the  day  or  night, 
—  and  this  may  have  happened,  —  she  was  back, 
strangely  enough,  at  noon,  at  the  same  latitude. 
But  the  greatest  science  was  in  reckoning  the  longi- 
tude. My  tin  clock  and  only  timepiece  had  by  this 
time  lost  its  minute-hand,  but  after  I  boiled  her  she 
told  the  hours,  and  that  was  near  enough  on  a  long 
stretch. 

On  the  2d  of  July  the  great  island  of  Timor  was 
in  view  away  to  the  nor'ard.  On  the  following  day 
I  saw  Dana  Island,  not  far  off,  and  a  breeze  came 
up  from  the  land  at  night,  fragrant  of  the  spices  or 
what  not  of  the  coast. 

On  the  11th,  with  all  sail  set  and  with  the  spin- 
naker still  abroad,  Christmas  Island,  about  noon, 
came  into  view  one  point  on  the  starboard  bow. 
Before  night  it  was  abeam  and  distant  two  and  a 
half  miles.  The  surface  of  the  island  appeared 
evenly  rounded  from  the  sea  to  a  considerable 
height  in  the  center.  In  outline  it  was  as  smooth 
as  a  fish,  and  a  long  ocean  swell,  rolling  up,  broke 
against  the  sides,  where  it  lay  like  a  monster  asleep, 
motionless  on  the  sea.  It  seemed  to  have  the  pro- 
portions of  a  whale,  and  as  the  sloop  sailed  along 
its  side  to  the  part  where  the  head  would  be, 
there  was  a  nostril,  even,  which  was  a  blow-hole 
through  a  ledge  of  rock  where  every  wave  thai 
dashed  threw  up  a  shaft  of  water,  lifelike  and  real. 

It  had  been  a  long  time  since  I  last  saw  this 
island;  but  I  remember  my  temporary  admiration 
for  the  captain  of  the  ship    I  was  then  in,  the 


CHRISTMAiS  ISLAND 


300 


est  on 
If  she 
nigM, 
back, 
titude. 
)  longi- 
by  this 
lier  she 
.  a  long 

lor  was 
ing  day 
e  came 
pices  or 

le  spin- 
t  noon, 
:d  bow. 
0  and  a 
ppeared 
derable 
smooth 
3,  broke 
:  asleep, 
the  pro- 
id  along 
mid  be, 
ow-hole 
,ve  thai 
id  real, 
jaw  this 
niration 
in,  the 


Tanjore,  when  he  sang  out  one  mornijg  from  the 
quarter-deck,  well  aft,  "  Go  aloft  there,  one  of  ye, 
with  a  pair  of  eyes,  and  see  Christmas  Island.'* 
Sure  enough,  there  the  island  was  in  sight  from 

the  royal-yard.    Captain  M had  thus  made  a 

great  hit,  and  he  never  got  over  it.  The  chief 
mate,  terror  of  us  ordinaries  in  the  ship,  walking 
never  to  windward  of  the  captain,  now  took  him- 
self very  humbly  to  leeward  altogether.  When  we 
arrived  at  Hong-Kong  there  was  a  letter  in  the 
ship's  mail  for  me.  I  was  in  the  boat  with  the 
captain  some  hours  while  he  had  it.  But  do  you 
suppose  he  could  hand  a  letter  to  a  seaman  ?  No, 
indeed ;  not  even  to  an  ordinary  seaman.  When 
we  got  to  the  ship  he  gave  it  to  the  first  mate ;  the 
first  mate  gave  it  to  the  second  mate,  and  he  laid 
it,  michingly,  on  the  capstan-head,  where  I  could 
get  it  I 


■P      *;y 


i 


\ 
i 

! 


i?      i^ 


m 


tt 


CHAPTER  XVI 

A  call  for  careful  navigation  —  Three  hours'  steering  in  twonty- 
three  days — Arrival  at  the  Keeling  Cocos  Islands  —  A  curious 
chapter  of  social  history  —  A  welcome  from  the  children  of  the 
islands  —  Cleaning  and  painting  the  Spray  on  the  beach — A  Mo- 
hanunedan  blessing  for  a  pot  of  jam  —  EeeMng  as  a  paradise — A 
risky  adventure  in  a  small  boat  —  Away  to  Rodriguez  —  Taken 
for  Antichrist — The  governor  calms  the  fears  of  the  people  —  A 
lecture — A  convent  in  the  hills. 


'i 


TO  the  Keeling  Cocos  Islands  was  now  only  five 
hundred  and  fifty  miles ;  but  even  in  this  short 
run  it  was  necessary  to  be  extremely  careful  in  keep- 
ing ,\  true  course  else  I  would  miss  the  atoll. 

On  the  12th,  some  hundred  miles  southwest  of 
Christmas  Island,  I  saw  anti-trade  clouds  flying  up 
from  the  southwest  very  high  over  the  regular 
winds,  which  weakened  now  for  a  few  days,  while  a 
swell  heavier  than  usual  set  in  also  from  the  south- 
west. A  winter  gale  was  going  on  in  the  direction 
of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  Accordingly,  I  steered 
higher  to  windward,  allowing  twenty  miles  a  day 
while  this  went  on,  for  change  of  current ;  and  it 
was  not  too  much,  for  on  that  course  I  made  the 
Keeling  Islands  right  ahead.  The  first  unmistak- 
able sign  of  the  land  was  a  visit  one  morning  from 
a  white  tern  that  fluttered  very  knowingly  about 
the  vessel,  and  then  took  itself  off  westward  with  a 
businesslike  air  in  its  wing.    The  tern  is  called  by 


210 


IT    'iH 


a  twenty- 
A  curious 
ren  of  the 
b  — AMo- 
radise — A 
z  —  Taken 
»eople  —  A 


»nly  five 
lis  short 
in  keep- 
1. 

west  of 

ying  up 

regular 

while  a 

e  south- 

irection 

steered 

s  a  day 

and  it 

lade  the 

mistak- 

ng  from 

y  about 

i  with  a 

ailed  by 


THBEE  HOURS'  STEERING  IN  TWENTY-THREE  DAYS   211 

the  islanders  the  "pilot  of  Keeling  Cocos.''  Far- 
ther on  I  came  among  a  great  number  of  birds  fish- 
ing, and  fighting  over  whatever  they  caught.  My 
reckoning  was  up,  and  springing  aloft,  I  saw  from 
half-way  up  the  mast  cocoanut-trees  standing  out 
of  the  water  ahead.  I  expected  to  see  this ;  still,  it 
thrilled  me  as  an  electric  shock  might  have  done. 
I  slid  down  the  mast,  trembling  under  the  strangest 
sensations ;  and  not  able  to  resist  the  impulse,  I  sat 
on  deck  and  gave  way  to  my  emotions.  To  folks  in 
a  parlor  on  shore  this  may  seem  weak  indeed,  but 
I  am  telling  the  story  of  a  voyage  alone. 

I  did  n't  touch  the  helm,  for  with  the  current  and 
heave  of  the  sea  the  sloop  found  herself  at  the  end 
of  the  run  absolutely  in  the  fairway  of  the  channel. 
You  could  n't  have  beaten  it  in  the  navy  I  Then  I 
trimmed  her  sails  by  the  wind,  took  the  helm,  and 
flogged  her  up  the  couple  of  miles  or  so  abreast 
the  harbor  landing,  where  I  cast  anchor  at  3:30 
p.  M.,  July  17, 1897,  twenty-three  days  from  Thurs- 
day Island.  The  distance  run  was  twenty-seven 
hundred  miles  as  the  crow  flies.  This  would  have 
been  a  fair  Atlantic  voyage.  It  was  a  delightful 
sail  I  During  those  twenty-three  days  I  had  not 
spent  altogether  more  than  three  hours  at  the 
helm,  including  the  time  occupied  in  beating  into 
Keeling  harbor.  I  just  lashed  the  helm  and  let  her 
go;  whether  the  wind  was  abeam  or  dead  aft,  it 
was  all  the  same :  she  always  sailed  on  her  course. 
No  part  of  the  voyage  up  to  this  point,  taking  it  by 
and  large,  had  been  so  finished  as  this.^ 

*  Mr.  Andrew  J.  Leaoh,  reporting,  July  21, 1897,  through  Governor 
Kynnersley  of  Singapore,  to  Joseph  Chaml)erlain,  Colonial  Secretary, 


'f 


i. 


k0- 


212 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


The  Keeling  Cocos  Islands,  according  to  Admiral 
Fitzroy,  E.  N.,  lie  between  the  latitudes  of  11°  50' 
and  120  12'  S.,  and  the  longitudes  of  96°  51'  and 
96°  58'  E.  They  were  discovered  in  1608-9  by 
Captain  William  Keeling,  then  in  the  service  of 
the  East  India  Company.  The  southern  group 
consists  of  seven  or  eight  islands  and  islets  on  the 
atoll,  which  is  the  skeleton  of  what  some  day,  ac- 
cording to  the  history  of  coral  reefs,  will  be  a  con- 
tinuous island.  North  Keeling  has  no  harbor,  is 
seldom  visited,  and  is  of  no  importance.  The 
South  Keelings  are  a  strange  little  world,  with 
a  romantic  history  all  their  own.  They  have  been 
visited  occasionally  by  the  floating  spar  of  some 
^  -urricane-swopt  ship,  or  by  a  tree  that  has  drifted 
all  the  way  from  Australia,  or  by  an  ill-starred 

said  concerning  the  Tpheg'mia's  visit  to  the  atoll :  "  As  we  left  the 
ocean  depths  of  deepest  blue  and  entered  the  coral  circle,  the  con- 
trast was  most  remarkable.  The  brilliant  colors  of  the  waters, 
transparent  to  a  depth  of  over  thirty  feet,  now  purple,  now  of  the 
bluest  sky-blue,  and  now  green,  with  the  white  crests  of  the  waves 
flashing  under  a  brilliant  sun,  the  encircling  .  .  .  palm-'^lad 
Islands,  the  gaps  between  which  were  to  the  south  undiscernible, 
the  white  sand  shores  and  the  whiter  gaps  where  breakers  appeared, 
and,  lastly,  the  lagoon  itself,  seven  or  eight  miles  across  from  north 
to  south,  and  five  to  six  from  east  to  west,  presented  a  sight  never  to 
be  forgotten.  After  some  little  delay,  Mr.  Sidney  Boss,  the  eldest 
son  of  Mr.  George  Boss,  came  off  to  meet  us,  and  soon  after,  accom- 
panied by  the  doctor  and  another  oflBcer,  we  went  ashore. 

''On  reaching  the  landing-stage,  we  found,  hauled  up  for  cleaning, 
etc.,  the  Spray  of  Boston,  a  yawl  of  12.70  tons  gross,  the  property  of 
Captain  Joshua  Slocum.  Ho  arrived  at  the  island  on  the  17th  of  July, 
twenty-three  days  out  from  Thursday  Island.  This  extraordinary 
solitary  traveler  left  Boston  some  two  years  ago  single-handed, 
crossed  to  Gibraltar,  sailed  down  to  Cape  Horn,  passed  through  the 
Strait  of  Magellan  to  the  Society  Islands,  thence  to  Australia,  and 
through  the  Torres  Strait  to  Thursday  Island.'^ 


A  CURIOUS  CHAPTER  OF  SOCIAL  HISTORY       213 


I'M 


dmiral 
11°  50' 
il'  and 
^9  by 
dee  of 

group 
on  the 
ay,  ac- 

a  con- 
L'bor,  is 
).  The 
I,  with 
TQ  been 
f  some 
drifted 
starred 

9  left  the 
,  the  con- 
e  waters, 
aw  of  the 
;he  waves 
)alm-'?lad 
scernible, 
j,ppeared, 
'om  north 
never  to 
.he  eldest 
r,  accom- 

eleaning, 
'operty  of 
h  of  July, 
aordinary 
e-handed, 
ough  the 
ralia,  and 


ship  cast  away,  and  finally  by  man.  Even  a  rock 
once  drifted  to  Keeling,  held  fast  among  the  roots 
of  a  tree. 

After  the  discovery  of  the  islands  by  Captain 
Keeling,  their  first  notable  visitor  was  Captain 
John  Clunis-Ross,  who  in  1814  touched  in  the  ship 
Borneo  on  a  voyage  to  India.  Captain  Ross  re- 
turned two  years  later  with  his  wife  and  family 
and  his  mother-in-law,  Mrs.  Dymoke,  and  eight 
sailor-artisans,  to  take  possession  of  the  islands, 
but  found  there  already  one  Alexander  Hare,  who 
meanwhile  had  marked  the  little  atoll  as  a  sort  of 
Eden  for  a  seraglio  of  Malay  women  which  he 
moved  over  from  the  coast  of  Africa.  It  was 
Ross's  own  brother,  oddly  enough,  who  freighted 
Hare  and  his  crowd  of  women  to  the  islands,  not 
knowing  of  Captain  John's  plans  to  occupy  the 
little  world.  And  so  Hare  was  there  with  his  out- 
fit, as  if  he  had  come  to  stay. 

On  his  previous  visit,  however,  Ross  had  nailed 
the  English  Jack  to  a  mast  on  Horsburg  Island, 
one  of  the  group.  After  two  years  shreds  of  it 
still  fluttered  in  the  wind,  and  his  sailors,  nothing 
loath,  began  at  once  the  invasion  of  the  new  king- 
dom to  take  possession  of  it,  v/omen  and  all.  The 
force  of  foicy  women,  with  only  one  man  to  com- 
mand them,  was  not  equal  to  driving  eight  sturdy 
sailors  back  into  the  sea.^ 

From  this  time  on  Hare  had  a  hard  time  of  it. 

1  In  the  accounts  given  in  Findlay's  "  Sailing  Directory"  of  some 
of  the  events  thete  is  a  chronological  discrepancy.  I  follow  the 
accounts  gathered  from  the  old  captain's  grandsons  and  from  records 
on  the  spot. 


I 


"  il 


>  i 

4 


.11 

ill 
if 


214 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


Up 


■.,:■«; 


He  and  Eoss  did  not  get  on  well  as  neighbors.  The 
islands  were  too  small  and  too  near  for  characters 
so  widely  different.  Hare  had  "  oceans  of  money,'' 
and  might  have  lived  well  in  London ;  but  he  had 
been  governor  of  a  wild  colony  in  Borneo,  and 
could  not  confine  himself  to  the  tame  life  that 
prosy  civilization  affords.  And  so  he  hung  on  to 
the  atoll  with  his  forty  women,  retreating  little  by 
little  before  Ross  and  his  sturdy  crew,  till  at  last 
he  found  himself  and  his  harem  on  the  little  island 
known  to  this  day  as  Prison  Island,  where,  like 
Bluebeard,  he  confined  his  wives  in  a  castle.  The 
channel  between  the  islands  was  narrow,  the  water 
was  not  deep,  and  the  eight  Scotch  sailors  wore 
long  boots.  Hare  was  now  dismayed.  He  tried 
to  compromise  with  rum  and  other  luxuries,  but 
these  things  only  made  matters  worse.  On  the  day 
following  the  first  St.  Andrew's  celebration  on  the 
island.  Hare,  consumed  with  rage,  and  no  longer 
on  speaking  terms  with  the  captain,  dashed  off  a 
note  to  him,  saying:  "Dear  Ross:  I  thought  when 
I  sent  rum  and  roast  pig  to  your  sailors  that  they 
would  stay  away  from  my  flower-garden."  In 
reply  to  which  the  captain,  burning  with  indigna- 
tion, shouted  from  the  center  of  the  island,  where 
he  stood,  "Ahoy,  there,  on  Prison  Island!  You 
Hare,  don't  you  know  that  rum  and  roast  pig  are  not 
a  sailor's  heaven  ? "  Hare  said  afterward  that  one 
might  have  heard  the  captain's  roar  across  to  Java. 
The  lawless  establishment  was  soon  broken  up 
by  the  women  deserting  Prison  Island  and  putting 
themselves  under  Ross's  protection.  Hare  then 
went  to  Batavia,  where  he  met  his  death. 


A  WELCOME  FROM  THE  CHILDREN 


215 


.  The 
acters 
oney," 
LO  had 
3,  and 
8  that 

on  to 
ttle  by 
at  last 
island 
e,  like 
.    The 
>  water 
's  wore 
3  tried 
es,  but 
:he  day 
on  the 
longer 
d  off  a 
t  when 
it  they 
1."    In 
idigna- 

where 
I  You 
are  not 
lat  one 
D  Java. 
len  up 
mtting 
8  then 


My  first  impression  upon  landing  was  that  the 
crime  of  infanticide  had  not  reached  the  islands  of 
Keeling  Cocos.    "The  children  have  all  come  to 


The  Spray  ashore  for  "boot-topping"  at  the  Keeping  Islands. 

(From  a  photograph.) 

welcome  you,''  explained  Mr.  Ross,  as  they  mustered 
at  the  jetty  by  hundreds,  of  all  ages  and  sizes.  The 
people  of  this  country  were  all  rather  shy,  but,  young 
or  old,  they  never  passed  one  or  saw  one  passing 


216 


SAILING  ALONE  ABOUND  T^E  WORLD 


their  door  without  a  salutation.  In  their  musical 
voices  they  would  say, "  Are  you  walking?''  ("  Jalan, 
jalan?")  "Will  you  come  along?"  one  would 
answer. 

For  a  long  time  after  I  arrived  the  children 
regarded  the  "  one-man  ship "  with  suspicion  and 
fear.  A  native  man  had  been  blown  away  to  sea 
many  years  before,  and  they  hinted  to  one  another 
that  he  might  have  been  changed  from  black  to 
white,  and  returned  in  the  sloop.  For  some  time 
every  movement  I  made  was  closely  watched. 
They  were  particularly  interested  in  what  I  ate. 
One  day,  after  I  had  been  "  boot-topping  "  the  sloop 
with  a  composition  of  coal-tar  and  other  stuff,  and 
while  I  was  taking  my  dinner,  with  the  luxury  of 
blackberry  jam,  I  heard  a  commotion,  and  then  a 
yell  and  a  stampede,  as  the  children  ran  away 
yelling:  "The  captain  is  eating  coal-tar  I  The 
captain  is  eating  coal-tar ! "  But  they  soon  found 
out  that  this  same  "  coal-tar  "  was  very  good  to  eat, 
and  that  I  had  brought  a  quantity  of  it.  One  day 
when  I  was  spreading  a  sea-biscuit  thick  with  it  for 
a  wide-awake  youngster,  I  heard  them  whisper, 
"  Chut-chut ! "  meaning  that  a  shark  had  bitten  my 
hand,  which  they  observed  was  lame.  Thenceforth 
they  regarded  me  as  a  hero,  and  I  had  not  fingers 
enough  for  the  little  bright-eyed  tots  that  wanted 
to  cling  to  them  and  follow  me  about.  Before  this, 
when  I  held  out  my  hand  and  said,  "  Come ! "  they 
would  shy  off  for  the  nearest  house,  and  say, 
"Dingin"  ("It  's  cold"),  or  "Ujan"  ("It  's  going 
to  rain").  But  it  was  now  accepted  that  I  was 
not  the  returned  spirit  of  the  lost  black,  and  I 


i 

i;  iii: 


A  MOHAMMEDAN  BLESSING 


217 


iisical 
Falan, 
?7ould 

lldren 
1  and 
bo  sea 
lother 
.ck  to 
3  time 
tched. 
I  ate. 
I  sloop 
ff,  and 
ury  of 
then  a 
away 
The 
found 
to  eat, 
le  day 
1  it  for 
isperj 
en  my 
eforth 
ingers 
vanted 
e  this, 
"  they 
I  say, 
going 
I  was 
and  I 


had  plenty  of  friends  about  the  island,  rain  oi 
shine. 

One  day  after  this,  when  I  tried  to  haul  the  sloop 
and  found  her  fast  in  the  sand,  the  children  all 
clapped  their  hands  and  cried  that  a  kpeting  (crab) 
was  holding  her  by  the  keel ;  and  little  Ophelia,  ten 
or  twelve  years  of  age,  wrote  in  the  Sprai/s  log-book: 

A  hundred  men  with  might  and  main 

On  the  windlass  hove,  yeo  ho  I 
The  cable  only  came  in  twain ; 

The  ship  she  would  not  go  j 
For,  child,  to  tell  the  strangest  thing, 
The  keel  was  held  by  a  great  kpeting. 

This  being  so  or  not,  it  was  decided  that  the  Mo- 
hammedan priest,  Sama  the  Emim,  for  a  pot  of 
jam,  should  ask  Mohammed  to  bless  the  voyage 
and  make  the  crab  let  go  the  sloop's  keel,  which  it 
did,  if  it  had  hold,  and  she  floated  on  the  very  next 
tide. 

On  the  22d  of  July  arrived  H.  M.  S.  IpJiegeniaj 
with  Mr.  Justice  Andrew  J.  Leech  and  court  officers 
on  board,  on  a  circuit  of  inspection  among  the 
Straits  Settlemerits,  of  which  Keeling  Cocos  was  a 
dependency,  to  hear  complaints  and  try  cases  by 
law,  if  any  there  were  to  try.  They  found  the  Spray 
hauled  ashore  and  tied  to  a  cocoanut-tree.  But  at 
the  Keeling  Islands  there  had  not  been  a  grievance 
to  complain  of  since  the  day  that  Hare  migrated, 
for  the  Rosses  have  always  treated  the  islanders  as 
their  own  family. 

If  there  is  a  paradise  on  this  earth  it  is  Keeling. 
There  was  not  a  case  for  a  lawyer,  but  something 


y  4i 


218 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


had  to  be  done,  for  here  were  two  ships  in  port,  a 
great  man-of-war  and  the  Spray,  Instead  of  a  law- 
suit a  dance  was  got  up,  and  all  the  officers  who 
could  leave  their  ship  came  ashore.  Everybody  on 
the  island  came,  old  and  young,  and  the  governor's 
great  hall  was  filled  with  people.  All  that  could 
get  on  their  feet  danced,  while  the  babies  lay  in 
heaps  in  the  corners  of  the  room,  content  to  look 
on.  My  little  friend  Ophelia  danced  with  the  judge. 
For  music  two  fiddles  screeched  over  and  over 
again  the  good  old  tune,  "  We  won't  go  home  till 
morning."    And  we  did  not. 

The  women  at  the  Keelings  do  not  do  all  the 
drudgery,  as  in  many  places  visited  on  the  voyage. 
It  would  cheer  the  heart  of  a  Fuegian  woman  to 
see  the  Keeling  lord  of  creation  up  a  cocoanut-tree. 
Besides  cleverly  climbing  the  trees,  the  men  of 
Keeling  build  exquisitely  modeled  canoes.  By  far 
the  best  workmanship  in  boat-building  I  saw  on 
the  voyage  was  here.  Many  finished  mechanics 
dwelt  under  the  palms  at  Keeling,  and  the  hum  of 
the  band-saw  and  the  ring  of  the  anvil  were  heard 
from  morning  till  night.  The  first  Scotch  settlers 
left  there  the  strength  of  Northern  blood  and  the 
inheritance  of  steady  habits.  No  benevolent  so- 
ciety has  ever  done  so  much  for  any  islanders  as 
the  noble  Captain  Ross,  and  his  sons,  who  have 
followed  his  example  of  industry  and  thrift. 

Admiral  Fitzroy  of  the  Beagle^  who  visited  here, 
where  many  things  are  reversed,  spoke  of  "  these 
singular  though  small  islands,  where  crabs  eat 
cocoanuts,  fish  eat  coral,  dogs  catch  fish,  men  ride 
on  turtles,  and  shells  are  dangerous  man-traps,** 


ort,  a 
ilaw- 
j  who 
dy  on 
rnor's 
could 

[ay  in 
3  look 
judge. 
I  over 
ne  till 

all  the 

royage. 

nan  to 

ut-tree. 

paen  of 
By  far 
law  on 
ihanics 

Ibum  of 
heard 

jsettlers 
^nd  the 
ent  so- 
lders as 
o  have 

jd  here, 
"  these 
lbs  eat 

Len  ride 
-traps," 


A  RISKY  ADVENTURE 


219 


adding  that  the  greater  part  of  the  sea-fowl  roost 
on  branches,  and  many  rats  make  their  nests  in 
the  tops  of  palm-trees. 

My  vessel  being  refitted,  I  decided  to  load  her 
with  the  famous  mammoth  tridacna  shell  of  Keel- 
ing, found  in  the  bayou  near  by.  And  right  here, 
within  sight  of  the  village,  I  came  near  losing  "  the 
crew  of  the  Spray  "  —  not  from  putting  my  foot  in 
a  man-trap  shell,  however,  but  from  carelessly 
neglecting  to  look  after  the  details  of  a  trip  across 
the  harbor  in  a  boat.  I  had  sailed  over  oceans ;  I 
have  since  completed  a  course  over  them  all,  and 
sailed  round  the  whole  world  without  so  nearly 
meeting  a  fatality  as  on  that  trip  across  a  lagoon, 
where  I  trusted  all  to  some  one  else,  and  he,  weak 
mortal  that  he  was,  perhaps  trusted  all  to  me. 
However  that  may  be,  I  found  myself  with  a 
thoughtless  African  negro  in  a  rickety  bateau  that 
was  fitted  with  a  rotten  sail,  and  this  blew  away  iii 
mid-channel  in  a  squall,  that  sent  us  drifting  help- 
lessly to  sea,  where  we  should  have  been  incon- 
tinently lost.  With  the  whole  ocean  before  us  to 
leeward,  I  was  dismayed  to  see,  while  we  drifted, 
that  there  was  not  a  paddle  or  an  oar  in  the  boat ! 
There  was  an  anchor,  to  be  sure,  but  not  enough 
rope  to  tie  a  cat,  and  we  were  already  in  deep 
water.  By  great  good  fortune,  however,  there  was 
a  pole.  Plying  this  as  a  paddle  with  the  utmost 
energy,  and  by  the  merest  accidental  flaw  in  the 
wind  to  favor  us,  the  trap  of  a  boat  was  worked 
into  shoal  water,  where  we  could  touch  bottom  and 
push  her  ashore.  With  Africa,  the  nearest  coast 
to  leeward,  three  thousand  miles  away,  with  not  so 


l!»    h 


220 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


i: 


much  as  a  drop  of  water  in  the  boat,  and  a  lean 
and  hungry  negro  —  well,  cast  the  lot  as  one  might, 
the  crew  of  the  Spray  in  a  little  while  would  have 


Captain  Slocum  driftiog  out  to  sea. 

been  hard  to  find.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  I  took 
no  more  such  chances.  The  tridacna  were  after- 
ward procured  in  a  safe  boat,  thirty  of  them  taking 


AWAY  TO  EODRIGUtZ 


221 


I  took 
after- 
taking 


the  place  of  three  tons  of  cement  ballast,  which  I 
threw  overboard  to  make  room  and  give  buoyancy. 

On  August  22,  the  kpeting,  or  whatever  else  it 
was  that  held  the  sloop  in  the  islands,  let  go  its 
hold,  and  she  swung  out  to  sea  under  all  sail, 
heading  again  for  home.  Mounting  one  or  two 
heavy  rollers  on  the  fringe  of  the  atoll,  she  cleared 
the  flashing  reefs.  Long  before  dark  Keeling  Cocos, 
with  its  thousand  souls,  as  sinless  in  their  lives  as 
perhaps  it  is  possible  for  frail  mortals  to  be,  was 
left  out  of  sight,  astern.  Out  of  sight,  I  say,  except 
in  my  strongest  affection. 

The  sea  was  rugged,  and  the  Spray  washed  hea- 
vily when  hauled  on  the  wind,  which  course  I  took 
for  the  island  of  Rodriguez,  and  which  brought  the 
sea  abeam.  The  true  course  for  the  island  was 
west  by  south,  one  quarter  south,  and  the  distance 
was  nineteen  hundred  miles ;  but  I  steered  consid- 
erably to  the  windward  of  that  to  allow  for  the 
heave  of  the  sea  and  other  leeward  effects.  My 
sloop  on  this  course  ran  under  reefed  sails  for 
days  together.  I  naturally  tired  of  the  never-end- 
ing motion  of  the  sea,  and,  above  all,  of  the  wetting 
I  got  whenever  I  showed  myself  on  deck.  Under 
these  heavy  weather  conditions  the  Spray  seemed 
to  lag  behind  on  her  course ;  at  least,  I  attributed 
to  these  conditions  a  discrepancy  in  the  log,  which 
by  the  fifteenth  day  out  from  Keeling  amounted  to 
one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  between  the  rotator 
and  the  mental  calculations  I  had  kept  of  what 
she  should  have  gone,  and  so  I  kept  an  eye  lifting 
for  land.  I  could  see  about  sundown  this  day  a 
bunch  of  clouds  that  stood  in  one  spot,  right  ahead, 


i?H 


222 


SAILING  ALONE  ABOUND  THE  WORLD 


while  the  other  clouds  floated  on ;  this  was  a  sign 
of  something.  By  midnight,  as  the  sloop  sailed  on, 
a  black  object  appeared  where  I  had  seen  the  rest- 
ing clouds.  It  was  still  a  long  way  off,  but  there 
could  be  no  mistaking  this :  it  was  the  high  island 
of  Rodriguez.  I  hauled  in  the  patent  log,  which  I 
was  now  towing  more  from  habit  than  from  neces- 
sity, for  I  had  learned  the  Spray  and  her  ways  long 
before  this.  If  one  thing  was  clearer  than  another  in 
her  voyage,  it  was  that  she  could  be  trusted  to  come 
out  right  and  in  safety,  though  at  the  same  time  I  al- 
ways stood  ready  to  give  her  the  benefit  of  even  the 
least  doubt.  The  officers  who  are  over-sure,  and 
"  know  it  all  like  a  book,**  are  the  ones,  I  have  ob- 
served, who  wi'eck  the  most  ships  and  lose  the  most 
lives.  The  cause  of  the  discrepancy  in  the  log  was 
one  often  met  with,  namely,  coming  in  contact  with 
some  large  fish ;  two  out  of  the  four  blades  of  the 
rotator  were  crushed  or  bent,  the  work  probably  of 
a  shark.  Being  sure  of  the  sloop's  position,  I  lay 
down  to  rest  and  to  think,  and  I  felt  better  for  it. 
By  daylight  the  island  was  abeam,  about  three 
miles  away.  It  wore  a  hard,  weather-beaton  ap- 
pearance there,  all  alone,  far  out  in  the  Indian  Ocean, 
like  land  adrift.  The  windward  side  was  uninvit- 
ing, but  there  was  a  good  port  to  leeward,  and  I 
hauled  in  now  close  on  the  wind  for  that.  A  pilot 
came  out  to  take  me  into  the  inner  harbor,  which 
was  reached  through  a  narrow  channel  among  coral 
reefs. 

It  was  a  curious  thing  that  at  all  of  the  islands 
some  reality  was  insisted  on  as  unreal,  while  improb- 
abilities were  clothed  as  hard  facts ;  and  so  it  hap- 


TAKEN  FOR  ANTICHBIST 


223 


;  a  sign 
iled  on, 
he  rest- 
t  there 
1  island 
which  I 
1  neces- 
lys  long 
other  in 
to  come 
ime  I  al- 
3ven  the 
are,  and 
lave  ob- 
:he  most 
log  was 
act  with 
is  of  the 
bably  of 
)n,  I  lay 
Br  for  it. 
it  three 
iten  ap- 
1  Ocean, 
nninvit- 
d,  and  I 
A  pilot 
,  which 
ng  coral 

)  islands 
improb- 
5  it  hap- 


pened here  that  the  good  abb6,  a  few  days  before, 
had  been  telling  his  people  about  the  coming  of 
Antichrist,  and  when  they  saw  the  Spray  sail  into 
the  harbor,  all  feather-white  before  a  gale  of  wind, 
and  run  all  standing  upon  the  beach,  and  with  only 
one  man  aboard,  they  cried,  **  May  the  Lord  help 
us,  it  is  he,  and  he  has  come  in  a  boat ! "  which  I 
say  would  have  been  the  most  improbable  way  of 
his  coming.  Nevertheless,  the  news  went  flying 
through  the  place.  The  governor  of  the  island, 
Mr.  Eoberts,  came  down  immediately  to  see  what 
it  was  all  about,  for  the  little  town  was  in  a  great 
commotion.  One  elderly  woman,  when  she  heard 
of  my  advent,  made  for  her  house  and  locked  her- 
self in.  When  she  heard  that  I  was  actually  com- 
ing up  the  street  she  barricaded  her  doors,  and  did 
not  come  out  while  I  was  on  the  island,  a  period 
of  eight  days.  Governor  Eoberts  and  his  family 
did  not  share  the  fears  of  their  people,  but  came  on 
board  at  the  jetty,  where  the  sloop  was  berthed, 
and  their  example  induced  others  to  come  also. 
The  governor's  young  boys  took  charge  of  the 
Spray^s  dinghy  at  once,  and  my  visit  cost  his  Ex- 
cellency, besides  great  hospitality  to  me,  the  build- 
ing of  a  boat  for  them  like  the  one  belonging  to 
the  Spray. 

My  first  day  at  this  Land  of  Promise  was  to  me 
like  a  fairy-tale.  For  many  days  I  had  studied  the 
charts  and  counted  the  time  of  my  arrival  at  this 
spot,  as  one  might  his  entrance  to  the  Islands  of 
the  Blessed,  looking  upon  it  as  the  terminus  of  the 
last  long  run,  made  irksome  by  the  want  of  many 
things  with  which,  from  this  time  on,  I  could  keep 


224 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


well  supplied.  And  behold,  here  was  the  sloop, 
arrived,  and  made  securely  fast  to  a  pier  in  Rodri- 
guez. On  the  first  evening  ashore,  in  the  land  of 
napkins  and  cut  glass,  I  saw  before  me  still  the 
ghosts  of  hempen  towels  and  of  mugs  with  handles 
knocked  off.  Instead  of  tossing  on  the  sea,  how- 
ever, as  I  might  have  been,  here  was  I  in  a  bright 
hall,  surrounded  by  sparkling  wit,  and  dining  with 
the  governoT*  oi  the  island !  "  Aladdin,"  I  cried, 
"where  is  your  lamp?  My  fisherman's  lantern, 
which  I  got  at  Gloucester,  has  shown  me  better 
things  than  your  smoky  c'  1  burner  ever  revealed.'' 
The  second  day  in  port  was  spent  in  receiving 
visitors.  Mrs.  Roberts  and  her  children  came  first 
to  "shake  hands,"  they  said,  "with  the  Spray P 
No  one  was  now  afraid  to  come  on  board  except 
the  poor  old  woman,  who  still  maintained  that  the 
Spray  had  Antichrist  in  the  hold,  if,  indeed,  he  had 
not  already  gone  ashore.  The  governor  entertained 
that  evening,  and  kindly  invited  the  "  destroyer  of 
the  world"  to  speak  for  himself.  This  he  did, 
elaborating  most  effusively  on  the  dangers  of  the 
sea  (which,  after  the  manner  of  many  of  our  frailest 
mortals,  he  would  have  had  smooth  had  he  made 
it) ;  also  by  contrivances  of  light  and  darkness  he 
exhibited  on  the  wall  pictures  of  the  places  and 
countries  visited  on  the  voyage  (nothing  like  the 
countries,  however,  that  he  would  have  made),  and 
of  the  people  seen,  savage  and  other,  frequently 
groaning, "  Wicked  world  !  Wicked  world ! "  When 
this  was  finished  his  Excellency  the  governor, 
speaking  words  of  thankfulness,  distributed  pieces 
of  gold. 


A  CONVENT  IN  THE  HILLS 


226 


On  the  following  day  I  accompanied  his  Excel- 
lency and  family  on  a  visit  to  San  Gabriel,  which 
WRs  up  the  country  among  the  hills.  The  good 
abbe  of  San  Gabriel  entertained  us  all  royally  at 
the  convent,  and  we  remained  his  guests  until  the 
following  day.  As  I  was  leaving  his  place,  the 
abb6  said,  "  Captain,  I  embrace  you,  and  of  what- 
ever religion  you  may  be,  my  wish  is  that  you 
succeed  in  making  your  voyage,  and  that  our 
Saviour  the  Christ  be  always  with  you!''  To 
this  good  man's  words  I  could  only  say>  "  My  dear 
abb^,  had  all  religionists  been  so  liberal  there  would 
have  been  less  bloodshed  in  the  world." 

At  Rodiiguez  one  may  now  find  every  conve- 
nience for  filling  pure  and  wholesome  water  in  any 
quantity.  Governor  Roberts  having  built  a  reser- 
voir in  the  hills,  above  the  village,  and  laid  pipes 
to  the  jetty,  where,  at  the  time  of  my  visit,  there 
were  five  and  a  half  feet  at  high  tide.  In  former 
years  well-water  was  used,  and  more  or  less  sickness 
occurred  from  it.  Beef  may  be  had  in  any  quantity 
on  the  island,  and  at  a  moderate  price.  Sweet  po- 
tatoes were  plentiful  and  cheap ;  the  large  sack  of 
them  that  I  bought  there  for  about  four  shillings 
kept  unusually  well.  I  simply  stored  them  in  the 
sloop's  dry  hold.  Of  fruits,  pomegranates  were 
most  plentiful ;  for  two  shillings  I  obtained  a  large 
sack  of  them,  as  msiny  as  a  donkey  could  pack 
from  the  orchard,  which,  by  the  way,  was  planted 
by  nature  herself. 


I 

I 


'  «    ■H;i 


>nm 


u 


'■Ill 

I 


CHAPTER  XVn 

A  clean  bill  of  health  at  Mauritius  —  Sailing  the  voyage  over  again 
in  the  opera-house  —  A  newly  discovered  plant  named  in  honor 
of  the  S})ray's  skipper — A  party  of  young  ladies  out  for  a  sail — 
A  bivouac  on  deck — A  warm  reception  at  Durban — A  friendly 
cross-examination  by  Henry  M.  Stanley — Three  wise  Boers  seek 
proof  of  the  flatness  of  the  earth  —  Leaving  South  Africa. 

ON  the  16tli  of  September,  after  eight  restful 
days  at  Rodriguez,  the  mid-ocean  land  of 
plenty,  I  set  sail,  and  on  the  19th  arrived  at  Mau- 
ritius, anchoring  at  quarantine  about  noon.  The 
sloop  was  towed  in  later  on  the  same  day  by  the 
doctor's  launch,  after  he  was  satisfied  that  I  had 
mustered  all  the  crew  for  inspection.  Of  this  he 
jseemed  in  doubt  until  he  examined  the  papers, 
which  called  for  a  crew  of  one  all  told  from  port 
to  port,  throughout  the  voyage.  Then  finding  that 
I  had  been  well  enough  to  come  thus  far  alone,  he 
gave  me  pratique  without  further  ado.  There  was 
still  another  official  visit  for  the  Spray  to  pass 
farther  in  the  harbor.  The  governor  of  Rodriguez, 
who  had  most  kindly  given  me,  besides  a  regular 
mail,  private  letters  of  introduction  to  friends,  told 
me  I  should  meet,  first  of  all,  Mr.  Jenkins  of  the 
postal  service,  a  good  man.  "  How  do  you  do,  Mr. 
Jenkins  f*  cried  I,  as  his  boat  swung  alongside. 
"You  don't  know  me,"  he  said.     "Why  not!"  I 

226 


A  CLEAN  BILL  OF  HEALTH  AT  MAURITIUS      227 


.  i 


■'  i 


M 
m 


r> 


The  Spray  at  Mauritius. 


r  m 


replied.  "From  where  is  the  sloop f*  "From 
around  the  world,'*  I  again  replied,  very  solemnly. 
**  And  alone  I "  "  Yes ;  why  not  1^  "  And  you 
know  me?"  "Three  thousand  years  ago,"  cried 
I,  "when  you  and  I  had  a  warmer  job  than  we 
have  now  "  (even  this  was  hot).  "  You  were  then 
Jenkinson,  but  if  you  have  changed  your  name 
I  don't  blame  you  for  that."    Mr.  Jenkins,  for- 


m 


228 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


bearing  soul,  entered  into  the  spirit  of  the  jest, 
which  served  the  Spray  a  good  turn,  for  on  the 
strength  of  this  tale  it  got  out  that  if  any  one 
should  go  on  board  after  dark  the  devil  would  get 
him  at  once.  And  so  I  could  leave  the  Spray  with- 
out the  fear  of  her  being  robbed  at  night.  The 
cabin,  to  be  sure,  was  broken  into,  but  it  was  done 
in  daylight,  and  the  thieves  got  no  more  than  a 
box  of  smoked  herrings  before  "  Tom  "  Ledson,  one 
of  the  port  officials,  caught  them  red-handed,  as  it 
were,  and  sent  them  to  jail.  This  was  discourag- 
ing to  pilferers,  for  they  feared  Ledson  more  than 
they  feared  Satan  himself.  Even  Mamode  Hajee 
Ayoob,  who  was  the  day-watchman  on  board, —  till 
an  empty  box  fell  over  in  the  cabin  and  frightened 
him  out  of  his  wits, —  could  not  be  hired  to  watch 
nights,  or  even  till  the  sun  went  down.  "  Sahib," 
he  cried,  "  there  is  no  need  of  it,"  and  what  he  said 
was  perfectly  true. 

At  Mauritius,  where  I  drew  a  long  breath,  the 
Spray  rested  her  wings,  it  being  the  season  of  fine 
weather.  The  hardships  of  the  voyage,  if  there  had 
been  any,  were  now  computed  by  officers  of  experi- 
ence as  nine  tenths  finished,  and  yet  somehow  I 
could  not  forget  that  the  United  States  was  still  a 
long  way  off. 

The  kind  people  of  Mauritius,  to  make  me  richer 
and  happier,  rigged  up  the  opera-house,  which  they 
had  named  the  *'  Ship  Pantaiy  ^  All  decks  and  no 
bottom  was  this  ship,  but  she  was  as  stiff  as  a 
church.  They  gave  me  free  use  of  it  while  I  talked 
over  the  Spray^s  adventures.  His  Honor  the  mayor 

1  Ouinea-ben. 


SAILING  THE  VOYAGE  IN  THE  OPERA-HOUSE    229 


le  jest, 
on  the 
ny  one 
uld  get 
ly  with- 
t.  The 
as  done 
than  a 
•ion,  one 
}d,  as  it 
courag- 
re  than 
3  Hajee 
'd,— till 
ghtened 

0  watch 
'  Sahib,'' 

he  said 

ath,  the 

1  of  fine 
lere  had 

experi- 
lebow  I 
s  still  a 

e  richer 
ich  they 
and  no 
iff  as  a 
I  talked 
e  mayor 


introduced  me  to  his  Excellency  the  governor  from 
the  poop-deck  of  the  Pantai.  In  this  way  I  was 
also  introduced  again  to  our  good  consul,  General 
John  P.  Campbell,  who  had  already  introduced  me 
to  his  Excellencj'-c  I  was  becoming  well  acquainted, 
and  was  in  for  it  now  to  sail  the  voyage  over  again. 
How  I  got  through  the  story  I  hardly  know.  It 
was  a  hot  night,  and  I  could  have  choked  the  tailor 
who  made  the  coat  I  wore  for  this  occasion.  The 
kind  governor  saw  that  I  had  done  my  part  trying 
to  rig  like  a  man  ashore,  and  he  invited  me  to 
Government  House  at  Eeduit,  where  I  found  myself 
among  friends. 

It  was  winter  still  off  stormy  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
but  the  storms  might  whistle  there.  I  determined 
to  see  it  out  in  milder  Mauritius,  visiting  Rose  Hill, 
Curipepe,  and  other  places  on  the  island.  I  spent 
a  day  with  the  elder  Mr.  Roberts,  father  of  Gov- 
ernor Roberts  of  Rodriguez,  and  with  his  friends 
the  Very  Reverend  Fathers  O'Loughlin  and  McCar- 
thy. Returning  to  the  Spray  by  way  of  the  great 
flower  conservatory  near  Moka,  the  proprietor, 
having  only  that  morning  discovered  a  new  and 
hardy  plant,  to  my  great  honor  named  it  "  Slocum," 
which  he  said  Latinized  it  at  once,  saving  him  some 
trouble  on  the  twist  of  a  word ;  and  the  good  bota- 
nist seemed  pleased  that  I  had  come.  How  different 
things  are  in  different  countries!  In  Boston, Massa- 
chusetts, at  that  time,  a  gentleman,  so  I  was  told, 
paid  thirty  thousand  dollars  to  have  a  flower  named 
after  his  wife,  and  it  was  not  a  big  flower  either, 
while  "  Slocum,"  which  came  without  the  asking, 
was  bigger  than  a  mangel-wurzel  I 


1 1 


230 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


I  was  royally  entertained  at  Moka,  as  well  as  at 
Eeduit  and  other  places  —  once  by  seven  young 
ladies,  to  whom  I  spoke  of  my  inability  to  return 
their  hospitality  except  in  my  own  poor  way  of 
taking  them  on  a  sail  in  the  sloop.  "The  very 
thing  I  The  very  thing ! "  they  all  cried.  "  Then 
please  name  the  time,"  I  said,  as  meek  as  Moses. 
"To-morrow I"  they  all  cried.  "And,  aunty,  we 
may  go,  may  n't  we,  and  we  '11  be  real  good  for  a 
whole  week  afterward,  aunty  I  Say  yes,  aunty 
dear!"  All  this  after  saying  "To-morrow";  for 
girls  in  Mauritius  are,  after  all,  the  same  as  our 
girls  in  America ;  and  their  dear  aunt  said  "  Me, 
too  "  about  the  same  as  any  really  good  aunt  might 
say  in  my  own  country. 

I  was  then  in  a  quandary,  it  having  recurred  to 
me  that  on  the  very  "to-morrow"  I  was  to  dine 
with  the  harbor-master.  Captain  Wilson.  How- 
ever, I  said  to  myself,  "The  Spray  will  run  out 
quickly  into  rough  seas;  these  young  ladies  will 
have  mal  de  mer  and  a  good  time,  and  I  '11  get  in 
early  enough  to  be  at  the  dinner,  after  all."  But 
not  a  bit  of  it.  We  sailed  almost  out  of  sight  of 
Mauritius,  and  they  just  stood  up  and  laughed  at 
seas  tumbling  aboard,  while  I  was  at  the  helm 
making  the  worst  weather  of  it  I  could,  and  spin- 
ning yarns  to  the  aunt  about  sea-serpents  and 
whales.  But  she,  dear  lady,  when  I  had  finished 
with  stories  of  monsters,  only  hinted  at  a  basket 
of  provisions  they  had  brought  along,  enough  to 
last  a  week,  for  I  had  told  them  about  my  wretched 
steward. 

The  more  the  Spray  tried  to  make  these  young 


A  PARTY  OP  YOUNG  LADIES  OUT  FOR  A  SAIL    231 


ell  as  at 
L  young 
3  return 

way  of 
he  very 

"  Then 
i  Moses, 
mty,  we 
3d  for  a 
5,  aunty 
►w'*;  for 
B  as  our 
dd  "  Me, 
nt  might 


3urred  to 
j  to  dine 
How- 
run  out 
dies  will 
'11  get  in 
11."    But 

sight  of 
ughed  at 
the  helm 
md  spin- 
ents  and 

finished 
a  basket 
nough  to 
wretched 

se  young 


ladies  seasick,  the  more  they  all  clapped  their  hands 
and  said,  "  How  lovely  it  is  1 "  and  "  How  beautifully 
she  skims  over  the  sea ! "  and  "  How  beautiful  our 
island  appears  from  the  distance ! "  and  they  still 
cried,  "  Go  on ! "  We  were  fifteen  miles  or  more 
at  sea  before  they  ceased  the  eager  cry,  "  Go  on ! " 
Then  the  sloop  swung  round,  I  still  hoping  to  be 
back  to  Port  Louis  in  time  to  keep  my  appoint- 
ment. The  Spray  reached  the  island  quickly,  and 
flew  along  the  coast  fast  enough;  but  I  made  a 
mistake  in  steering  along  the  coast  on  the  way 
home,  for  as  we  came  abreast  of  Tombo  Bay  it 
enchanted  my  crew.  "  Oh,  let  's  anchor  here !  ^ 
they  cried.  To  this  no  sailor  in  the  world  would 
have  said  nay.  Tho  sloop  came  to  anchor,  ten 
minutes  later,  as  they  wished,  and  a  young  man  on 
the  cliff  abreast,  waving  his  hat,  cried,  "  Vive  la 
Spray  I "  My  passengers  said,  "  Aunty,  may  n't 
we  have  a  swim  in  the  surf  along  the  shore?" 
Just  then  the  harbor-master's  launch  hove  in  sight^ 
coming  out  to  meet  us ;  but  it  was  too  late  to  get 
the  sloop  into  Port  Louis  that  night.  The  launch 
was  in  time,  however,  to  land  my  fair  crew  for  a 
swim ;  but  they  were  determined  not  to  desert  the 
ship.  Meanwhile  I  prepared  a  roof  for  the  night 
on  deck  with  the  sails,  and  a  Bengali  man-servant 
arranged  the  evening  meal.  That  night  the  Spray 
rode  in  Tombo  Bay  with  her  precious  freight. 
Next  morning  bright  and  early,  even  before  the 
stars  were  gone,  I  awoke  to  hear  praying  on 
deck. 

The  port  officers'  launch  reappeared  later  in  the 
morning,  this  time  with  Captain  Wilson  himself  on 


i'\i 


232 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


board,  to  try  his  luck  in  getting  the  Spray  into  port, 
for  he  had  heard  of  our  predicament.  It  was  worth 
something  to  hear  a  friend  tell  afterward  how  ear- 
nestly the  good  harbor-master  of  Mauritius  said, 
"  I  '11  find  the  Spray  and  I  '11  get  her  into  port."  A 
merry  crew  he  discovered  on  her.  They  could  hoist 
sails  like  old  tars,  and  could  trim  them,  too.  They 
could  tell  all  about  the  ship's  "hoods,"  and  one 
should  have  seen  them  clap  a  bonnet  on  the  jib. 
Like  the  deepest  of  deep-water  sailors,  they  could 
heave  the  lead,  and  —  as  I  hope  to  see  Mauritius 
again  ! —  any  of  them  could  have  put  the  sloop  in 
stays.    No  ship  ever  had  a  fairer  crew. 

The  voyage  was  the  event  of  Port  Louis ;  such  a 
thing  as  young  ladies  sailing  about  the  harbor, 
even,  was  almost  unheard  of  before. 

While  at  Mam'itius  the  Spray  was  tendered  the 
use  of  the  military  dock  free  of  charge,  and  was 
thoroughly  refitted  by  the  port  authorities.  My 
sincere  gratitude  is  also  due  other  friends  for 
many  things  needful  for  the  voyage  put  on  board, 
including  bags  of  sugar  from  some  of  the  famous 
old  plantations. 

The  favorable  season  now  set  in,  and  thus  well 
equipped,  on  the  26th  of  October,  the  Spray  put  to 
sea.  As  I  sailed  before  a  light  wind  the  island 
receded  slowly,  and  on  the  following  day  I  could 
still  see  the  Puce  Mountain  near  Moka.  The 
Spray  arrived  next  day  off  Galets,  E^union,  and  a 
pilot  came  out  and  spoke  her.  I  handed  him  a 
Mauritius  paper  and  continued  on  my  voyage ;  for 
rollers  were  running  heavily  at  the  time,  and  it  was 
not  practicable  to  make  a  landing.    From  B^union 


A  BIVOUAC  ON  DECK 


233 


ato  port, 
as  woi*th 
bow  ear- 
ius  said, 
lort."  A 
aid  hoist 
).  Tiiey 
and  one 
the  jib. 
ey  could 
lauritius 
sloop  in 

;  such  a 
harbor, 

ered  the 
and  was 
ies.  My 
mds  for 
n  board, 
)  famous 

hus  well 
y  put  to 
e  island 
I  could 
a.  The 
and  a 
i  him  a 
age;  for 
d  it  was 
Et^union 


I  shaped  a  course  direct  for  Cape  St.  Mary,  Mada- 
gascar. 

The  sloop  was  now  drawing  near  the  limits  of 
the  trade-wind,  and  the  strong  breeze  that  had  car- 
ried her  with  free  sheets  the  many  thousands  of 
miles  from  Sandy  Cape,  Australia,  fell  li<j:htGr  each 
day  until  October  30,  when  it  was  altogether  calm, 
and  a  motionless  sea  held  her  in  a  hushed  world. 
I  furled  the  sails  at  evening,  sat  down  on  deck,  and 
enjoyed  the  vast  stillness  of  the  night. 

October  31  a  light  east-northeast  breeze  sprang 
up,  and  the  sloop  passed  Cape  St.  Mary  about  noon. 
On  the  6th,  7th,  8th,  and  9th  of  November,  in  the 
Mozambique  Channel,  she  expeiienced  a  hard  gale 
of  wind  from  the  southwest.  Here  the  Spray  suf- 
fered as  much  as  she  did  anywhere,  except  oft'  Cape 
Horn.  The  thunder  and  lightning  preceding  this 
gale  were  very  heavy.  From  this  point  until  the 
sloop  arrived  off  the  coast  of  Africa,  she  encoun- 
tered a  succession  of  gales  of  wind,  which  drove 
her  about  in  many  directions,  but  on  the  17th  of 
November  she  arrived  at  Port  Natal. 

This  delightful  place  is  the  commercial  center  of 
the  "  Garden  Colony,"  Durban  itself,  the  city,  being 
the  continuation  of  a  garden.  The  signalman  from 
the  bluff  station  reported  the  Spray  fifteen  miles  off. 
The  wind  was  freshening,  and  when  she  was  within 
eight  miles  he  said :  "  The  Spray  is  shortening  sail ; 
the  mainsail  was  reefed  and  set  in  ten  minutes. 
One  man  is  doing  all  the  work." 

This  item  of  news  was  printed  three  minutes 
later  in  a  Durban  morning  journal,  which  was 
handed  to  me  when  I  arrived  in  port.    I  could  not 


i 


-Ul 


234 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


verify  the  time  it  had  taken  to  reef  the  sail,  for,  as 
I  have  ah'eady  said,  the  minute-hand  of  my  time- 
piece was  gone.  I  only  knew  that  I  reefed  as 
quickly  as  I  could. 

The  same  paper,  commenting  on  the  voyage,  said: 
"  Judging  from  the  stormy  weather  which  has  pre- 
vailed off  this  coast  during  the  past  few  weeks,  the 
Spray  must  have  had  a  very  stormy  voyage  from 
Mauritius  to  Natal."  Doubtless  the  weather  would 
have  been  called  stormy  by  sailors  in  any  ship,  but 
it  caused  the  Spray  no  more  inconvenience  than  the 
delay  natural  to  head  winds  generally. 

The  question  of  how  I  sailed  the  sloop  alone,  often 
asked,  is  best  answered,  perhaps,  by  a  Dui^ban  news- 
paper. I  would  shrink  from  repeating  the  editor's 
words  but  for  the  reason  that  undue  estimates  have 
been  made  of  the  amount  of  skill  and  energy  re- 
quired to  sail  a  sloop  of  even  the  Spray^s  small  ton- 
nage. I  heard  a  man  who  called  himself  a  sailor 
say  that  "  it  would  require  three  men  to  do  what  it 
was  claimed "  that  I  did  alone,  and  what  I  found 
perfectly  easy  to  do  over  and  over  again;  and  I 
have  heard  that  others  made  similar  nonsensical 
remarks,  adding  that  I  would  work  myself  to  death. 
But  here  is  what  the  Durban  paper  said : 


As  briefly  noted  yesterday,  the  Spray,  with  a  crew  of 
one  man,  arrived  at  this  port  yesterday  afternoon  on  her 
cruise  round  the  world.  Tho  Spray  made  quite  an  auspi- 
cious entrance  to  Natal.  Her  commander  sailed  his  craft 
right  up  the  channel  past  the  ma^'n  wharf,  and  dropped 
his  anchor  near  the  old  Forerunner  in  the  creek,  before 
any  one  had  a  chance  to  get  on  board.  The  Spray  was 
naturally  an  object  of  great  curiosity  to  the  Point  people, 


A  WARM  RECEPTION  AT  DURBAN 


236 


:or,  as 

time- 

:ed  as 

I,  said: 
IS  pre- 
ks,  the 
3  from 
would 
ip,  but 
lan  the 

5,  often 
I  news- 
jditor's 
38  have 
rgy  re- 
ill  ton- 
sailor 
?\rhat  it 
found 
and  I 
ensical 
death. 


crew  of 
on  her 
auspi- 
is  craft 

Iropped 
before 
•ay  vas 
people, 


and  her  arrival  was  witnessed  by  a  large  crowd.  The 
skilful  manner  in  which  Captain  Slocum  steered  his  craft 
about  the  vessels  which  were  occupying  the  waterway  was 
a  treat  to  witness. 

The  Spray  was  not  sailing  in  among  greenhorns 
when  she  came  to  Natal.  When  she  arrived  off  the 
port  the  pilot-ship,  a  fine,  able  steam-tug,  came  out 


Captaiu  Joshua  Blocum. 

to  meet  her,  and  led  the  way  in  across  the  bar,  for 
it  was  blowing  a  smart  gale  and  was  too  rough  for 
the  sloop  to  be  towed  with  safety.  The  trick  of 
going  in  I  learned  by  watching  the  steamer;  it 
was  simply  to  keep  on  the  windward  side  of  the 
channel  and  take  the  combers  end  on. 

I  found  that  Durban  supported  two  yacht-clubs, 
both  of  them  full  of  enterprise.  I  met  all  the  mem- 
bers of  both  clubs,  and  sailed  in  the  crack  yacht 
Florence  of  the  Royal  Natal,  with  Captain  Sprad- 
brow  and  the  Right  Honorable  Harry  Escombe, 
premier  of  the  coiony.    The  yacht's  center-board 


1 


236 


SAILING  ALONE  ABOUND  THE  WORLD 


! 


plowed  furrows  through  the  mud-banks,  which,  acs 
cording  to  Mr.  Escombe,  Spradbrow  afterward 
planted  with  potatoes.  The  Florence^  however,  won 
races  while  she  tilled  the  skipper's  land.  After  our 
sail  on  the  Florence  Mr.  Egcombe  offered  to  sail  the 
Spray  round  the  Cap  3  of  Good  Hope  for  me,  and 
hinted  at  his  famous  cribbage-board  to  while  away 
the  hours.  Spradbrow,  in  retort,  warned  me  of  it. 
Said  he,  "  You  would  be  played  out  of  the  sloop 
before  you  could  round  the  cape."  By  others  it 
was  not  thought  probable  that  the  premier  of  Natal 
would  play  cribbage  off  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  to 
win  even  the  Spray. 

It  was  a  matter  of  no  small  pride  to  me  in  South 
Africa  to  find  that  American  humor  was  never  at 
a  discount,  and  one  of  the  best  American  stories  I 
ever  heard  was  told  by  the  premier.  At  Hotel 
Royal  one  day,  dining  with  Colonel  Saunderson, 
M.  P.,  his  son,  and  Lieutenant  Tipping,  I  met  Mr. 
Stanley.  The  great  explorer  was  just  from  Pre- 
toria, and  had  already  as  good  as  flayed  President 
Kriiger  with  his  trenchant  pen.  But  that  did  not 
signify,  for  everybody  has  a  whack  at  Oom  Paul, 
and  no  one  in  the  world  seems  to  stand  the  joke 
better  than  he,  not  even  the  Sultan  of  Turkey  him- 
self. The  colonel  introduced  me  to  the  explorer, 
and  I  hauled  close  to  the  wind,  to  go  slow,  for  Mr. 
Stanley  was  a  nautical  man  once  himself, — on  the 
Nyanza,  I  think, — and  of  course  my  desire  was  to 
appear  in  the  best  light  before  a  man  of  his  expe- 
rience. He  looked  me  over  carefully,  and  said, 
"What  an  example  of  patience  I**  *' Patience  is 
all  that  is  required,"  I  ventured  to  reply.    He  then 


CROSS-EXAMINATION  BY  HENRY  M.  STANLEY    237 


3b,  ao* 
irward 


r,  won 
;er  our 
ail  the 
le,  and 
3  away 
e  of  it. 
)  sloop 
hers  it 
f  Natal 
[ope  to 

.  South 
ever  at 
tories  I 
b  Hotel 
derson, 
let  Mr. 
m  Pre- 
esident 
did  not 
1  Paul, 
le  joke 
3y  him- 
Lplorer, 
for  Mr. 
-on  the 
was  to 
s  expe- 
d  said, 
ence  is 
le  then 


asked  if  my  vessel  had  water-tight  compartments. 
I  explained  that  she  was  all  water-tight  and  all 
compartment.  "  What  if  she  should  strike  a  rock?  " 
he  asked.  "  Compartments  would  not  save  her  if 
she  should  hit  the  rocks  lying  along  her  course,"  said 
I;  adding,  "she  must  be  kept  away  from  the  rocks." 
After  a  considerable  pause  Mr.  Stanley  asked, 
"  What  if  a  swordfish  should  pierce  her  Imll  with 
its  sword  f "  Of  course  I  had  thought  of  that  as 
one  of  the  dangers  of  the  sea,  and  also  of  the  chance 
of  being  struck  by  lightning.  In  the  case  of  the 
swordfish,  I  ventured  to  say  that  "  the  first  thing 
would  be  to  secure  the  sword."  The  colonel  invited 
me  to  dine  with  the  party  on  the  following  day, 
that  we  might  go  further  into  this  matter,  and  so  I 
had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  Mr,  Stanley  a  second 
time,  but  got  no  more  hints  in  navigation  from  the 
famous  explorer. 

It  sounds  odd  to  hear  scholars  and  statesmen  say 
the  world  is  flat ;  but  it  is  a  fact  that  three  Boers 
tavored  by  the  opinion  of  President  Kriiger  pre- 
pared a  work  to  support  that  contention.  While 
I  was  at  Durban  they  came  from  Pretoria  to  obtain 
data  from  me,  and  they  seemed  annoyed  when  I 
told  them  that  they  could  not  prove  it  by  my  ex- 
perience. With  the  advice  to  call  up  some  ghost 
of  the  dark  ages  for  research,  I  went  ashore,  and 
left  these  three  wise  men  poring  over  the  Spray^s 
track  on  a  chart  of  the  world,  which,  however, 
proved  nothing  to  them,  for  it  was  on  Mercator's 
projection,  and  behold,  it  was  "flat."  The  next 
morning  I  met  one  of  the  party  in  a  clergyman's 
garb,  carrying  a  large  Bible,  not  different  from  the 


*'  'A 


'i1 
'ill 

'  1* 


\i 


238 


SAILING  ALONE  ABOUND  THE  "WOBLD 


ii  I' ' 


III 


I  i 


I 
1 1 


one  I  had  read.  He  tackled  me,  saying,  "If  you 
respect  the  Word  of  God,  you  must  admit  that  the 
world  is  flat."  "  If  the  Word  of  God  stands  on  a  flat 
world — "  I  began.  "What!"  cried  he,  losing  him- 
self in  a  passion,  and  making  as  if  he  would  run 
me  through  with  an  assagai.  "What!"  he  shouted 
in  astonishment  and  rage,  while  I  jumped  aside  to 
dodge  the  imaginary  weapon.  Had  this  good  but 
misguided  fanatic  been  armed  with  a  real  weapon, 
the  crew  of  the  Spray  would  have  died  a  martyr 
there  and  then.  The  next  day.  seeing  him  across 
the  street,  I  bowed  and  made  curves  with  my 
hands.  He  responded  with  a  level,  swimming 
movement  of  his  hands,  meaning  "the  world  is 
flat."  A  pamphlet  by  these  Transvaal  geographers, 
made  up  of  arguments  from  sources  high  and  low 
to  prove  their  theory,  was  mailed  to  n-.e  before  I 
sailed  from  Africa  on  my  last  stretch  uround  the 
globe. 

While  I  feebly  portray  the  ignore  nee  of  these 
learned  men,  I  have  gi'eat  admiration  for  their  phy- 
sical manhood.  Much  that  I  saw  first  and  last  of 
the  Transvaal  and  the  Boers  was  admirable.  It  is 
well  known  that  they  are  tae  hardest  of  fighters, 
and  as  generous  to  the  fallen  as  they  are  brave  be- 
fore the  foe.  Real  stubborn  bigotry  with  them  is 
only  found  among  old  fogies,  and  will  die  a  natural 
death,  and  that,  too,  perhaps  long  before  we  our- 
selves are  entirely  free  from  bigotry.  Education 
in  the  Transvaal  is  by  no  means  neglected,  English 
as  well  as  Dutch  being  taught  to  all  that  can  afford 
both ;  but  the  tariff  duty  on  English  school-books 
is  heavy,  and  from  necessity  the  poorer  people 


LEAVING  SOUTH  AFRICA 


230 


[f  you 
at  the 
L  aflat 
r  him- 
Id  run 
louted 
dde  to 
Dd  but 
eapon, 
[nartyr 
across 
th  my 
mming 
orld  is 
aphers, 
nd  low 
efore  I 
[nd  the 

these 
irphy- 
last  of 
.  It  is 
ghters, 
ave  be- 
bhem  is 
laturai 
ve  our- 
acation 

nglish 

afford 
l-books 

people 


stick  to  the  Transvaal  Dutch  and  their  flat  world, 
just  as  in  Samoa  and  other  islands  a  mistaken 
policy  has  kept  the  natives  down  to  Kanaka. 

I  visited  many  public  schools  at  Durban,  and 
had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  many  bright  children. 

But  all  fine  things  must  end,  and  December  14, 
1897,  the  "crew"  of  the  Spray ,  after  having  a  fine 
time  in  Natal,  swung  the  sloop's  dinghy  in  on  deck, 
and  sailed  with  a  morning  land-wind,  which  car- 
ried her  clear  of  the  bar,  and  again  she  was  "  off  on 
her  alone,"  as  they  say  in  Australia. 


♦   u 


i  ,8 


1 


V  * 


CHAPTER  XVIII 


III' 


iM  : 


li-'l' 


If,.', 


Rounding  the  "  Cape  of  Storms"  in  olden  time  — A  rough  Christmas 
—  The  Spray  ties  up  for  a  three  months'  rest  at  Cape  Town — A 
railway  trip  to  the  Transvaal  —  President  Krilger's  odd  definition 
of  the  Spray's  voyage — His  torse  sayings  —  Distinguished  guests 
on  the  Spray  —  Coeoanut  fiber  as  a  padlock  —  Courtesies  from 
the  admiral  of  the  Queen's  navy  —  Off  for  St.  Helena  — Land 
in  sight. 

THE  Cape  of  Good  Hope  was  now  the  most  prom- 
inent point  to  pass.  From  Table  Bay  I  could 
count  on  the  aid  of  brisk  trades,  and  then  the 
Spray  would  soon  be  at  home.  On  the  first  day  out 
from  Durban  it  fell  calm,  and  I  sat  thinking  about 
these  things  and  the  end  of  the  voyage.  The  dis- 
tance to  Table  Bay,  where  I  intended  to  call,  was 
about  eight  hundred  miles  over  what  might  prove 
a  rough  sea.  The  early  Portuguese  navigators,  en- 
dowed with  patience,  were  more  than  sixty-nine 
years  struggling  to  round  this  cape  before  they 
got  as  far  as  Algoa  Bay,  and  there  the  crew  muti- 
nied. They  landed  on  a  small  island,  now  called 
Santa  Cruz,  where  they  devoutly  set  up  the  cross, 
and  swore  they  would  cut  the  captain^s  throat  if 
he  attempted  to  sail  farther.  Beyond  this  they 
thought  was  the  edge  of  the  world,  which  they  too 
believed  was  flat;  and  fearing  that  their  ship 
would  sail  over  the  brink  of  it,  they  compelled 
Captain   Diaz,  their  commander,  to  retrace  his 


ii 


§''  ■ 


A  ROUGH  CHRISTMAS 


241 


L  Christmas 
Towii — A 
1  definition 
ihod  guests 
esies  from 
ina  —  Laud 


st  prom- 

^  I  could 

hen  the 

'j  day  out 

ig  about 

The  dis- 

jall,  was 

it  prove 

tors,  en- 

Kty-nine 

>re  they 

w  muti- 

w  called 

e  cross, 

hroat  if 

113  they 

ihey  too 

3ir  ship 

mpelled 

ace  his 


course,  all  being  only  too  glad  to  get  home.  A 
year  later,  we  are  told,  Vasco  da  Gam  a  sailed 
successfully  round  the  "Cape  of  Storms,"  as  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope  was  then  called,  and  discov- 
ered Natal  on  Christmas  or  Natal  day ;  lienco  the 
name.    From  this  point  the  way  to  India  was  easy. 

Gales  of  wind  sweeping  round  the  capo  oven 
now  were  frequent  enough,  one  occurring,  on  an 
average,  every  thirty-six  hours ;  but  one  galo  was 
much  the  same  as  another,  with  no  more  serious 
result  than  to  blow  the  Spray  along  on  her  course 
when  it  was  fair,  or  to  blow  her  back  somewhat 
when  it  was  ahead.  On  Christmas,  1897, 1  came  to 
the  pitch  of  the  cape.  On  this  day  the  Spray  was 
trying  to  stand  on  her  head,  and  she  gave  me  every 
reason  to  believe  that  she  would  accomplish  the 
feat  before  night.  She  began  very  ear  v  in  tlie 
morning  to  pitch  and  toss  about  in  a  most  unusual 
manner,  and  I  have  to  record  that,  while  I  wjis  at 
the  end  of  the  bowsprit  reefing  the  jib,  slio  ducked 
me  underwater  three  times  for  a  Christmas  box.  I 
got  wet  and  did  not  like  it  a  bit:  never  in  any  other 
sea  was  I  put  under  more  than  once  in  the  same 
short  space  of  time,  say  throe  minutes.  A  large 
English  steamer  passing  .an  up  the  signal,  "Wish- 
ing you  a  Merry  Christmas."  I  think  the  cai)tain 
was  a  humorist;  his  own  ship  was  throwing  her 
propeller  out  of  water. 

Two  days  later,  the  Sjyray^  having  recovered  the 
distance  lost  in  the  gale,  passed  Cape  Agulhas  in 
company  with  the  steamship  Scotsman^  now  with  a 
fair  wind.  The  keeper  of  the  light  on  Agulhas  ex- 
changed signals  with  the  Spray  as  she  passed,  and 


'^ ;  L 


n 


16 


t 
i    M 


242 


SAILING  ALONE  ABOUND  TEE  WORLD 


W 


afterward  wrote  me  at  New  York  congratulations 
on  the  completion  of  the  voyage.  He  seemed  to 
think  the  incident  of  two  ships  of  so  widely  diffar- 
ent  types  passing  his  cape  together  worthy  of  a 
place  on  canvas,  and  he  went  about  having  the 
picture  made.  So  I  gathered  from  his  letter.  At 
lonely  stations  like  this  hearts  grow  responsive 
and  sympathetic,  and  even  poetic.  This  feeling 
was  shown  toward  the  Spray  along  many  a  rugged 
coast,  and  reading  many  a  kind  signal  thrown 
out  to  her  gave  one  a  grateful  feeling  for  all  the 
world. 

One  more  gale  of  wind  came  down  upon  the 
Spray  from  the  west  after  she  passed  Cape  Agu- 
Ihas,  but  that  one  she  dodged  by  getting  into 
Simons  Bay.  When  it  moderated  she  beat  around 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  where  they  say  the  Flying 
Dutchman  is  still  sailing.  The  voyage  then  seemed 
as  good  as  finished ;  from  this  time  on  I  knew  that 
all,  or  nearly  all,  would  be  plain  sailing. 

Here  I  crossed  the  dividing-line  of  weather.  To 
the  north  it  was  clear  and  settled,  while  south  it 
was  humid  and  squally,  with,  often  enough,  as  I 
have  said,  a  treacherous  gale.  From  the  recent 
hard  weather  the  Spray  ran  into  a  calm  under 
Table  Mountain,  where  she  lay  quietly  till  the  gen- 
erous sun  rose  over  the  land  and  drew  a  breeze  in 
from  the  sea. 

The  steam-tug  Alert,  then  out  looking  for  ships, 
came  to  the  Spray  off  the  Lion's  Eump,  end  in  lieu 
of  a  larger  ship  towed  her  into  port.  The  sea  being 
smooth,  she  came  to  anchor  in  the  bay  off  the  city 
of  Cape  Town,  where  she  remained  a  day,  simply 


l;  !i 


PRESIDENT  KRtGER'S  ODD  DEFINITION         243 


lations 
ned  to 
diffar- 
y  of  a 
Qg  the 
3r.  At 
)oiisive 
feeling 
rugged 
thrown 
all  the 

on  the 
\e  Agu- 
ig  into 
around 
Flying 
seemed 
3W  that 

ler.  To 
outh  it 
h,  as  I 
recent 
under 
he  gen- 
'eeze  in 

•  ships, 
in  lieu 
I  being 
he  city 
simply 


to  rest  clear  of  the  bustle  of  commerce.  The  good 
harbor-master  sent  his  steam-launch  to  bring  the 
sloop  to  a  berth  in  dock  at  once,  but  I  preferred  to 
remain  for  one  day  alone,  in  the  quiet  of  a  smooth 
sea,  enjoying  the  retrospec  of  the  passage  of  the 
two  great  capes.  On  the  following  morning  the 
Spray  sailed  into  the  Alfred  Dry-docks,  where  she 
remained  for  about  three  months  in  the  care  of  the 
port  authorities,  while  I  traveled  the  country  over 
from  Simons  Town  to  Pretoria,  being  accorded  by 
the  colonial  government  a  free  railroad  pass  over 
all  the  lar  i. 

The  trip  *  Kimberley,  Johannesburg,  and  Pre- 
toria was  h  pleasant  one.  At  the  last-named  place 
I  met  Mr  Kriiger,  the  Transvaal  president.  His 
Exceir  ncy  received  me  cordially  enough ;  but  my 
friend  judge  Beyers,  the  gentleman  who  presented 
me,  by  mentioning  that  I  was  on  a  voyage  around 
the  world,  unwittingly  gave  great  offense  to  the 
venerable  statesman,  which  we  both  regretted 
deeply.  Mr.  Kriiger  corrected  the  judge  rather 
sharply,  reminding  him  that  the  world  is  flat.  "  You 
don't  mean  round  the  world,"  said  the  president; 
"  it  is  impossible !  You  mean  in  the  world.  Im- 
possible !  ^  he  said,  "  impossible  ! "  and  not  another 
word  did  he  utter  either  to  the  judge  or  to  me.  The 
judge  looked  at  me  and  I  looked  at  the  judge,  who 
should  have  known  his  ground,  so  to  speak,  and 
Mr.  Kriiger  glowered  at  us  both.  My  friend  the 
judge  seemed  embarrassed,  but  I  was  delighted; 
the  incident  pleased  me  more  than  anything  else 
that  could  have  happened.  It  was  a  nugget  of 
information  quarried  out  of  Oom  Paul,  some  of 


p-11 


m 


I 


il  i 


DISTINGUISHED  GUESTS  ON  THE  "SPRAY"       245 


whose  sayings  are  famous.  Of  the  English  he 
said,  "  They  took  first  ray  coat  and  then  my  trou- 
sers." He  also  said,  "Dynamite  is  the  corner-stone 
of  the  South  African  Republic.''  Only  unthinking 
people  call  President  Kriiger  dull. 

Soon  after  my  arrival  at  the  cape,  Mr.  Kriiger's 
friend  Colonel  Saunderson,^  who  had  arrived  from 
Durban  some  time  before,  invited  me  to  Newlands 
Vineyard,  where  I  met  many  agreeable  people. 
His  Excellency  Sir  Alfred  Milner,  the  governor, 
found  time  to  come  aboard  with  a  party.  The 
governor,  after  making  a  survey  of  the  deck, 
found  a  seat  on  a  box  in  my  cabin ;  Lady  Muriel 
sat  on  a  keg,  and  Lady  Saunderson  sat  by  the 
skipper  at  the  wheel,  while  the  colonel,  with  his 
kodak,  away  in  the  dinghy,  took  snap  shots  of  the 
sloop  and  her  distinguished  visitors.  Dr.  David 
Gill,  astronomer  royal,  who  was  of  the  party, 
invited  me  the  next  day  to  the  famous  Cape 
Observatory.  An  hour  with  Dr.  Gill  was  an  hour 
among  the  stars.  His  discoveries  in  stellar  pho- 
tography are  well  known.  He  showed  me  the  great 
astronomical  clock  of  the  observatory,  and  I 
showed  him  the  tin  clock  on  the  Spray^  and  we 
went  over  the  subject  of  standard  time  at  sea,  and 
how  it  was  found  from  the  deck  of  the  little  sloop 
without  the  aid  of  a  clock  of  any  kind.  Later  it 
was  advertised  that  Dr.  Gill  would  preside  at  a 
talk  about  the  voyage  of  the  Spray:  that  alone 
secured  for  me  a  full  house.  The  hall  was  packed, 
and  many  were  not  able  to  get  in.    This  success 

>  Colonel  Saunderson  was  Mr.  Krliper's  very  best  friend,  inasmuch  as  he 
advised  the  president  to  avast  mountijUc  guns. 


f 


Ill 


^h  ■ 


■A 


240 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


brought  me  sufficient  money  for  all  my  needs  in 
port  and  for  the  homeward  voyage. 

After  visiting  Kimborley  and  Pretoria,  and  find- 
ing the  Spray  all  right  in  the  docks,  I  returned  to 
Worcester  and  Wellington,  towns  famous  for  col- 
leges and  seminaries,  passed  coming  in,  still  travel- 
ing as  the  guest  of  the  colony.  The  ladies  of 
all  these  institutions  of  learning  wished  to  know 
how  one  might  sail  round  the  world  alone,  which 
I  thought  augured  of  sailing-mistresses  in  the 
future  instead  of  sailing-masters.  It  will  come 
to  that  yet  if  we  men-folk  keep  on  saying  we 
"  can't." 

On  the  plains  of  Africa  I  passed  through  hun- 
dreds of  miles  of  rich  but  still  barren  land,  save  for 
scrub-bushes,  on  which  herds  of  siieep  were  brows- 
ing. The  bushes  grew  about  the  length  of  a  sheep 
apart,  and  they,  I  thought,  were  rather  long  of 
body ;  but  there  was  still  room  for  all.  My  long- 
ing for  a  foothold  on  land  seized  upon  me  here, 
where  so  much  of  it  lay  waste;  but  instead  of 
remaining  to  plant  forests  and  reclaim  vegetation, 
I  returned  again  to  the  Spray  at  the  Alfred  Docks, 
where  I  found  her  waiting  for  me,  with  everything 
in  order,  exactly  as  I  had  left  her. 

I  have  often  been  asked  how  it  was  that  my  ves- 
sel and  all  appurtenances  were  not  stolen  in  the 
various  ports  where  I  left  her  for  days  together 
without  a  watchman  in  charge.  This  is  just  how  it 
was :  The  Spray  seldom  fell  among  thieves.  At  the 
Keeling  Islands,  at  Rodriguez,  and  at  many  such 
places,  a  wisp  of  cocoanut  fiber  in  the  door-latch, 
to  indicate  that  the  owner  was  away,  secured  the 


III .  • 


COURTESIES  FROM  THE  ADMIRAL 


247 


goods  against  oven  a  longing  glanco.  But  when  I 
came  to  a  great  island  nearer  homo,  stout  locks 
were  needed ;  the  first  night  in  port  things  which 


Captain  Slocum,  Sir  Alfred  Milner  (with  the  tall  hat),  and  Colonel 
Saundorson,  M.  P.,  on  the  bow  of  the  Spray  at  Cape  Town. 

I  had  always  left  uncovered  disappeared,  as  if  the 
deck  on  which  they  wre  stowed  had  been  swept 
by  a  sea. 
A  pleasant  visit  from  Admiral  Sir  Harry  Raw- 


P  i 'I 


248 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


son  of  the  Eoyal  Navy  and  his  family  brought 
to  an  end  the  Sjpraifs  social  relations  with  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope.  The  admiral,  then  com- 
manding the  South  African  Squadron,  and  now  in 
command  of  the  great  Channel  fleet,  evinced  the 
greatest  interest  in  the  diminutive  Spray  and  her 
behavior  off  Cape  Horn,  where  he  was  not  an  entire 
stranger.  I  have  to  admit  that  I  was  delighted 
with  the  trend  of  Admiral  Rawson's  questions,  and 
that  I  profited  by  some  of  his  suggestions,  not- 
withstanding the  wide  difference  in  our  respective 
commands. 

On  March  26,  1898,  the  Spray  sailed  from  South 
Africa,  the  land  of  distances  and  pure  air,  where 
she  had  spent  a  pleasant  and  profitable  time.  The 
steam-tug  Tigre  towed  her  to  sea  from  her  wonted 
berth  at  the  Alfred  Docks,  giving  her  a  good  offing. 
The  light  morning  breeze,  which  scantily  filled  her 
sails  when  the  tug  let  go  the  tow-line,  soon  died 
away  altogether,  and  left  her  riding  over  a  heavy 
swell,  in  full  view  of  Table  Mountain  and  the  high 
peaks  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  For  a  while 
the  grand  scenery  served  to  relieve  the  monotony. 
One  of  the  old  circumnavigators  (Sir  Francis  Drake, 
I  think),  when  he  first  saw  this  magnificent  pile, 
sang,  "  'T  is  the  fairest  thing  and  the  grandest  cape 
I  Ve  seen  in  the  whole  circumference  of  the  earth." 

The  view  was  certainly  fine,  but  one  has  no  wish 
to  linger  long  to  look  in  a  calm  at  anything,  and 
I  was  glad  to  note,  finally,  the  short  heaving  sea, 
precursor  of  the  wind  which  followed  on  the  second 
day.  Seals  playing  about  the  Spray  all  day,  before 
the  breeze  came,  looked  with  large  eyes  when,  at 


OFF  FOR  ST.  HELENA 


240 


evening,  she  sat  no  longer  like  a  lazy  bird  with 
folded  wings.  They  parted  company  now,  and  the 
Spray  soon  sailed  the  highest  peaks  of  the  moun- 
tains out  of  sight,  and  the  world  changed  from  a  mere 


"  Reading  day  and  night." 

panoramic  view  to  the  light  of  a  homeward-bound 
voyage.  Porpoises  and  dolphins,  and  such  other 
fishes  as  did  not  mind  making  a  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  a  day,  were  her  companions  now  for  several 


!4 


II 


250 


SAILINa  ALONE  ABOUND  THE  WORLD 


'i  i 


I 


days.  The  wind  was  from  the  southeast ;  this  suited 
the  Spray  well,  and  she  ran  along  steadily  at  her  best 
speed,  while  I  dipped  into  the  new  books  given  me 
at  the  cape,  reading  day  and  night.  March  30  was 
for  me  a  fast-day  in  honor  of  them.  I  read  on, 
oblivious  of  hunger  or  wind  or  sea,  thinking  that 
all  was  going  well,  when  suddenly  a  comber  rolled 
over  the  stern  and  slopped  saucily  into  the  cabin, 
wetting  the  very  book  I  was  reading.  Evidently  it 
was  time  to  put  in  a  reef,  that  she  might  not  wal- 
low on  her  course. 

March  31  the  fresh  southeast  wind  had  come  to 
stay.  The  Spray  was  running  under  a  single- 
reefed  mainsail,  a  whole  jib,  and  a  flying-jib 
besides,  set  on  the  Vailima  bamboo,  while  I  was 
reading  Stevenson's  delightful  "Inland  Voyage.** 
The  sloop  was  again  doing  her  work  smoothly, 
hardly  rolling  at  all,  but  just  leaping  along  among 
the  white  horses,  a  thousand  gamboling  porpoises 
keeping  her  company  on  aU  iides.  She  was  again 
among  her  old  friends  the  flying-fish,  interesting 
denizens  of  the  sea.  Shooting  out  of  the  waves 
like  arrows,  and  with  outstretched  wings,  they 
sailed  on  the  wind  in  graceful  curves ;  then  falling 
till  again  they  touclied  the  crest  of  the  waves  to  wet 
their  delicate  wings  and  renew  tlie  flight.  They 
made  merry  the  livelong  day.  One  of  the  joyful 
sights  on  the  ocean  of  a  bright  day  is  the  continual 
flight  of  these  interesting  fish. 

One  could  not  be  lonely  in  a  sea  like  this.  More- 
over, the  reading  of  delightful  adventures  enhanced 
the  scene.  I  was  now  in  the  Spray  and  on  tlie 
Oise  in  the  Arethusa  at  one  and  the  same  time. 


LAND  IN  SIGHT 


251 


And  SO  the  Spray  reeled  off  the  miles,  showing  a 
good  run  every  day  till  April  11,  which  came  al- 
most before  I  knew  it.  Very  early  that  morning  I 
was  awakened  by  that  rare  bird,  the  booby,  with 
its  harsh  quack,  which  I  recognized  at  once  as 
a  call  to  go  on  deck;  it  was  as  much  as  to  say, 
"Skipper,  there  *s  land  in  sight."  I  tumbled  out 
quickly,  and  sure  enough,  away  ahead  in  the  dim 
twilight,  about  twenty  miles  off,  was  St.  Helena. 

My  first  impulse  was  to  call  out,  "Oh,  what  a 
speck  in  the  sea!''  It  is  in  reality  nine  miles  in 
length  and  two  thousand  eight  hundred  and 
twenty-three  feet  in  height.  I  reached  for  a  bottle 
of  port-wine  out  of  the  locker,  and  took  a  long  pull 
from  it  to  the  health  of  my  invisible  helmsman — 
the  pilot  of  the  Finta, 


U 


V: 


CHAPTER  XIX 

In  the  isle  of  Napoleon's  exile — Two  lectures— A  gnest  in  the  ghost- 
room  at  Plantation  House  —  An  excursion  to  historic  Lcngwood 
—Coffee  in  the  husk,  and  a  goat  to  shell  it — The  Spray^s  ill  luck 
with  animalo — A  iirejudice  against  small  dogs — A  rat,  the  Boston 
spider,  and  the  cannibal  cricket — Ascension  island. 

IT  was  about  noon  when  the  Spray  came  to  anchor 
off  Jamestown,  a  ad  "  all  hands "  at  once  went 
ashore  to  pay  respects  to  his  Excellency  the  gov- 
ernor of  the  island,  Sir  R.  A.  Sterndale.  His  Ex- 
c  llency,  when  I  landed,  remarked  that  it  was  not 
often,  nowadays,  that  a  circumnavigator  came  his 
way,  and  he  cordialiy  welcomed  me,  and  arranged 
tl^'t  I  should  tell  about  the  voyage,  first  at  Garden 
F^;;!l  to  the  people  of  Jamestown,  and  then  at 
Plantation  House — the  governor's  residence,  which 
is  in  the  hills  a  mile  or  two  back  —  to  his  Excel- 
lency and  the  officers  of  the  garrison  and  their 
friends.  Mr.  Poole,  our  worthy  consul,  introduced 
mc  at  the  castle,  and  in  the  course  of  his  remarks 
asserted  that  the  sea-serpent  was  a  Yankee. 

Most  royally  was  the  crew  of  the  Spray  enter- 
tained by  the  governor.  I  remained  at  Plantation 
House  a  couple  of  days,  and  one  of  the  rooms  in 
the  mansion,  called  the  '*  west  roora,^  being  haunted, 
the  butler,  by  command  of  his  Excellency,  put  me 


IN  THE  ISLE  OF  NAPOLEON'S  EXIL.B 


253 


;  in  the  gbost- 
rlo  Lcngwood 
pray's  ill  luck 
at,  the  Boston 


B  to  anchor 
once  went 
y  the  gov- 
His  Ex- 
it  was  not 
r  came  his 
arranged 
at  Garden 
then  at 
jnce,  which 
his  Excel- 
and  their 
introduced 
liis  remarks 
iee. 

fprai/  enter- 
Plantation 
e  rooms  in 
lig  haunted, 
jcy,  put  me 


^ 


up  in  that  —  lila  a  prince.  T.-ideedy  to  mske  sure 
that  no  mistake  had  been  made,  L^s  Fxcellenoy 
came  later  to  see  that  I  was  in  tt  i  n^ht  room,  and 
to  tell  me  all  about  the  ghosts  L  hiid  3oen  or  heard 
of.  He  had  discovered  all  but  on  o,  and  wishing 
me  pleasant  dreams,  he  hoped  I  might  havb  the 
honor  of  a  visit  from  the  unknown  one  of  the  west 
room.  For  the  rest  of  the  chilly  night  I  kept  the 
candle  burning,  and  often  looked  from  under  the 
blankets,  thinking  that  maybe  I  should  meet  the 
gi'eat  Napoleon  face  to  face ;  but  I  saw  only  furni- 
ture, and  the  horseshoe  that  was  nailed  over  the 
door  opposite  my  bed. 

St.  Helena  has  been  an  island  of  tragedies  — 
tragedies  that  have  been  lost  sight  of  in  wailing 
over  the  Corsican.  On  the  second  day  <of  my  visit 
the  governor  took  me  by  carriago-road  through  the 
turns  over  the  island.  At  one  po  ut  of  our  journey 
the  road,  in  winding  around  spurs  and  ravines, 
formed  a  perfect  W  withia  t>ie  -iistanco  of  a  few 
rods.  The  roads,  though  ^  jitiy  as  and  sieop,  wero 
fairly  good,  and  I  was  sti  lek  with  the  amount  of 
labor  it  must  have  cost  to  i>aill  them.  The  air  on 
the  heights  w  s  cool  and  b'  aclng.  It  is  said  that, 
since  hanging  for  trivial  otfenses  went  out  of 
fashion,  no  one  has  died  there,  except  from  falling 
over  the  cliffs  in  old  aga,  or  from  being  crushed  by 
stones  rolling  on  them  from  the  steep  mountains  I 
Witches  at  one  time  were  persistent  at  St.  Helena, 
as  with  us  in  America  in  the  days  of  Cotton  Mather, 
At  the  present  day  crime  is  rare  in  the  island. 
While  I  was.  there.  Governor  Sterndale.  in  token 
of  the  fact  that  not  one  criminal  case  had  ccma  to 


■Hi 


1 


264 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


court  within  the  year,  was  presented  with  a  pair 
of  white  gloves  by  the  officers  of  justice. 

Returning  from  the  governor's  house  to  James- 
town, I  drove  with  Mr.  Clark,  a  countryman  of 
mine,  to  "  Longwood,''  the  home  of  Napoleon.  M. 
Morilleau,  French  consular  agent  in  charge,  keeps 
the  place  respectable  and  the  buildings  in  good  re- 
pair. His  family  at  Long  wood,  consisting  of  wife 
and  grown  daughters,  are  natives  of  courtly  and 
refined  manners,  and  spend  here  days,  months,  and 
years  of  contentment,  though  they  have  never  seen 
the  world  beyond  the  horizon  of  St.  Helena. 

On  the  20th  of  April  the  Spray  was  again  ready 
for  sea.  Before  going  on  board  I  took  luncheon 
with  the  governor  and  his  family  at  the  castle. 
Lady  Sterndale  had  sent  a  large  fruit-cake,  early 
in  the  morning,  from  Plantation  House,  to  be  taken 
£:ong  on  the  voyage.  It  was  a  great  high-decker, 
and  I  ate  sparingly  of  it,  as  I  thought,  but  it  did 
not  keep  as  I  had  hoped  it  would.  I  ate  the  last 
of  it  along  with  my  first  cup  of  coffee  at  Antigua, 
West  Indies,  which,  after  all,  was  quite  a  record. 
The  one  my  own  sister  made  me  at  the  little  island 
in  the  Bay  of  Fundy,  at  the  first  of  the  voyage, 
kept  about  the  same  length  of  time,  namely,  forty- 
two  days. 

After  luncheon  a  royal  mail  was  made  up  for 
Ascension,  the  island  next  on  my  way.  Then  Mr. 
Poole  and  his  daughter  paid  the  Spray  a  farewell 
visit,  bringing  me  a  basket  of  fruit.  It  was  late  in 
the  evening  before  the  anchor  was  up,  and  I  bore 
off  for  the  west,  loath  to  leave  my  new  friends. 
But  fresh  winds  Med  the  sloop's  sails  once  more, 


COFFEE  IN  THE  HUSK,  AND  A  GOAT  TO  SHELL  IT      255 


h  a  pair 

)  James- 
ym&rx  of 
eon.  M. 
ye,  keeps 
good  re- 
5  of  wife 
irtly  and 
Qths,  and 
ever  seen 
la. 

lin  ready 

luncheon 

le  castle. 

ike,  early 

)  be  taken 

h-decker, 

)n.t  it  did 

B  the  last 

Antigua, 

a  record. 

tie  island 

>  voyage, 

)ly,  forty- 

e  up  for 
Then  Mr. 

farewell 
as  late  in 

d  I  bore 
friends, 
ice  more, 


and  I  watched  the  beacon-light  at  Plantation  House, 
the  governor's  parting  signal  for  the  Spray,  till 
the  island  faded  in  the  darkness  astern  and  became 
one  with  the  night,  and  by  midnight  the  light  itself 
had  disappeared  below  the  horizon. 

When  morning  came  there  was  no  land  in  sight, 
but  the  day  went  on  the  same  as  days  'jefore,  save 
for  one  small  incident.  Governor  Sterndale  had 
given  me  a  bag  of  coffee  in  the  husk,  and  Clark, 
the  American,  in  an  evil  moment,  had  put  a  goat 
on  board,  "  to  butt  the  sack  and  hustle  the  coffee- 
beans  out  of  the  pods.**  He  urged  that  the  animal, 
besides  being  useful,  would  be  as  companionable 
as  a  dog.  I  soon  found  that  my  sailing-com- 
panion, this  sort  of  dog  with  horns,  had  to  be  tied 
up  entirely.  The  mistake  I  made  was  that  I  did 
not  chain  him  to  the  must  instead  of  tying  him 
with  grass  ropes  less  securely,  and  this  I  learned 
to  my  cost.  Except  for  the  first  day,  before  the 
beast  got  his  sea-legs  on,  I  had  no  peace  cl  mind. 
After  that,  actuated  by  a  spirit  born,  maybe,  of  his 
pasturage,  this  incarnation  of  evil  threatened  to 
devour  everything  from  flying-jib  to  stern-davits. 
He  was  the  worst  pirate  I  met  on  the  whole  voy- 
age. He  began  depredations  by  eating  my  chart 
of  the  West  Indies,  in  thv>  cabin,  one  day,  while  I 
was  about  my  work  forward,  thinking  that  the 
critter  was  securely  tied  on  deck  by  tlie  pumps. 
Alas!  there  was  not  a  rope  in  the  sloop  proof 
against  that  goat's  awful  teeth  I 

It  was  clear  from  the  very  first  that  I  was  hav- 
ing no  luck  with  animals  on  board.  There  was 
the  tree-crab  from  the  Keeling  Islands.    No  sooner 


M  il 


1      i 


2S6 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


1  'i 


had  it  got  a  claw  through  its  prison-box  than  my 
sea-jacket,  hanging  within  reach,  was  torn  to  rib- 
bons. Encouraged  by  this  success,  it  smashed  the 
box  open  and  escaped  into  my  cabin,  tearing  up 
things  generally,  and  finally  threatening  my  life  in 
the  dark.  I  had  hoped  to  bring  the  creature  home 
alive,  but  this  did  not  prove  feasible.  Next  the 
goat  devoured  my  straw  hat,  and  so  when  I  ar- 
rived in  port  I  had  nothing  to  wear  ashore  on  my 
head.  This  last  unkind  stroke  decided  his  fate. 
On  the  27th  of  April  the  Spray  arrived  at  Ascen- 
sion, which  is  garrisoned  by  a  man-of-war  crew, 
and  the  boatswain  of  the  island  came  on  board. 
As  he  stepped  out  of  his  boat  the  mutinous  goat 
climbed  into  it,  and  defied  boatswain  and  crew.  I 
hired  them  to  land  the  wretch  at  once,  which  they 
were  only  too  willing  to  do,  and  there  he  fell  into 
the  hands  of  a  most  excellent  Scotchman,  with  the 
chances  that  he  would  never  get  away.  I  was  des- 
tined to  sail  once  more  into  the  depths  of  solitude, 
but  these  experiences  had  no  bad  effect  upon  me ; 
on  the  contrary,  a  spirit  of  charity  and  even  be- 
nevolence grew  stronger  in  my  nature  through  the 
meditations  of  these  supreme  hours  on  the  sea. 

In  the  loneliness  of  the  dreary  country  about 
Cape  Horn  I  found  myself  in  no  mood  to  make  one 
lifeJess  in  the  world,  except  in  self-defense,  and  as 
I  sailed  this  trait  of  the  hermit  character  grew  till 
the  mention  of  killing  food-animals  was  revolting 
to  me.  However  well  I  may  have  f3njoyed  a  chicken 
stew  afterward  at  Samoa,  a  new  self  rebelled  at  the 
thought  suggested  there  of  carrying  chickens  to  be 
slain  for  my  table  on  the  voyage,  and  Mrs.  Steven- 


A  PREJUDICE  AGAINST  SMALL  DOGS 


257 


son,  hearing  my  protest,  agreed  with  me  that  to  kill 
the  companions  of  my  voyage  and  eat  them  would 
be  indeed  next  to  murder  and  cannibalism. 

As  to  pet  animals,  there  was  no  room  for  a  noble 
large  dog  on  the  Spray  on  so  long  a  voyage,  and  a 
small  cur  was  for  many  years  associated  in  my 
mind  with  hydrophobia.  I  witnessed  once  the 
death  of  a  sterling  young  German  from  that  dread- 
ful disease,  and  about  the  same  time  heard  of  the 
death,  also  by  hydrophobia,  of  the  young  gentleman 
who  had  just  wi'itten  a  line  of  insurance  in  his 
coiupany's  books  for  me.  I  have  seen  the  whole 
crew  of  a  ship  scamper  up  the  rigging  to  avoid  a 
dog  racing  about  the  decks  in  a  fit.  It  would 
never  do,  I  thought,  for  the  crew  of  the  Spray  to 
take  a  canine  risk,  and  with  these  just  prejudices 
indelibly  stamped  on  my  mind,  I  have,  I  am  afraid, 
answered  impatiently  too  often  the  query,  "  Did  n't 
you  have  a  dog  ?  "  with, "  I  and  the  dog  would  n't 
have  been  very  long  in  the  same  boat,  in  any  sense." 
A  cat  would  have  been  a  harmless  animal,  I  dare 
say,  but  there  was  nothing  for  puss  to  do  on  board, 
and  she  is  an  unsociable  animal  at  best.  True,  a 
rat  got  into  my  vessel  at  the  Keeling  Cocos 
Islands,  and  another  at  Rodriguez,  along  with  a 
centiped  stowed  aw^ay  in  the  hold ;  but  one  of  them 
I  drove  out  of  the  ship,  and  the  other  I  caught. 
This  is  how  it  was :  for  the  first  one  with  infinite 
pains  I  made  a  trap,  looking  to  its  capture  and  de- 
struction; but  the  wily  rcient,  not  to  be  deluded, 
took  the  hint  and  got  ashure  the  day  the  thing  was 
completed. 

It  is,  according  to  tradition,  a  most  reassuring 

17 


;l!! 


■t 


■| 


»>. 


4 


268 


SAILINQ  ALONE  ABOUND  THE  WORLD 


\l 


sign  to  find  rats  coming  to  a  ship,  and  I  had  a 
mind  to  abide  the  knowing  one  of  Rodriguez ;  but 
a  breach  of  discipline  decided  the  matter  against 
him.  While  I  slept  one  night,  my  ship  sailing  on, 
he  undertook  to  walk  over  me,  beginning  at  the 
crown  of  my  head,  concerning  wliich  I  am  always 
sensitive.  I  sleep  lightly.  Before  his  impertinence 
had  got  him  even  to  my  nose  I  cried  "  Rat !  ^  had 
him  by  the  tail,  and  threw  him  out  jf  the  compan- 
ion way  into  the  sea. 

As  for  the  centiped,  I  was  not  aware  of  its  pres- 
ence till  the  wretched  insect,  all  feet  and  venom, 
beginning,  like  the  rat,  at  my  head,  wakened  me  by 
a  sharp  bite  on  the  scalp.  This  also  was  more 
than  I  could  tolerate.  After  a  few  applications  of 
kerosene  the  poisonous  bite,  painful  at  first,  gave 
me  no  further  inconvenience. 

From  this  on  for  a  time  no  living  thing  dis- 
turbed my  solitude ;  no  insect  even  was  present  in 
my  vessel,  except  the  spider  and  his  wife,  from 
Boston,  now  with  a  family  of  young  spiders.  No- 
thing, I  say,  till  sailing  down  the  last  stretch  of  the 
Indian  Ocean,  where  mosquitos  came  by  hundreds 
from  rain-water  poured  out  of  the  heavens.  Sim- 
ply a  barrel  of  rain-water  stood  on  deck  five  days, 
I  think,  in  the  sun,  then  music  began.  I  knew  the 
sound  at  once;  it  was  the  same  as  heard  from 
Alaska  to  New  Orleans. 

Again  at  Cape  Town,  while  dining  out  one  day, 
I  was  taken  with  the  song  of  a  cricket,  and  Mr, 
Branscombe,  my  host,  volunteered  to  capture  a 
pair  of  them  for  me.  They  were  sent  on  board 
next  day  in  a  box  labeled,  "  Pluto  and  Scamp." 


THE  CANNIBAL  CRICKET 


269 


Stowing  them  away  in  the  binnacle  in  their  own 
snug  box,  I  left  them  there  without  food  till  I  got 
to  sea — a  few  days.  I  had  never  heard  of  a  cricket 
eating  anything.  It  seems  that  Pluto  was  a  can- 
nibal, for  only  the  wings  of  poor  Scamp  were  visi- 
ble when  I  opened  tlie  lid,  and  they  lay  broken  on 
the  floor  of  the  prison-box.  Even  with  Pluto  it 
had  gone  hard,  for  he  lay  on  his  back  stark  and 
stiff,  never  to  chirrup  again. 

Ascension  Island,  where  the  goat  was  marooned, 
is  called  the  Stone  Frigate,  R.  N.,  and  is  rated 
"  tender  ^  to  the  South  African  Squadron.  It  lies 
in  7°  55'  south  latitude  and  14°  25'  west  longitude, 
being  in  the  very  heart  of  the  southeast  trade- 
winds  and  about  eight  hundred  and  forty  miles 
from  the  coast  of  Liberia.  It  is  a  mass  of  volcanic 
matter,  thrown  up  from  the  bed  of  the  ocean  to  the 
height  of  two  thousand  eight  hundred  and  eighteen 
feet  at  the  highest  point  above  sea-level.  It  is  a 
strategic  point,  and  belonged  to  Great  Britain  be- 
fore it  got  cold.  In  the  limited  but  rich  soil  at  the 
top  of  the  island,  among  the  clouds,  vegetation  has 
taken  root,  and  a  little  scientific  farming  is  carried 
on  under  the  supervision  of  a  gentleman  from 
Canada.  Also  a  few  cattle  and  sheep  are  pastured 
there  for  the  garrison  mess.  Water  storage  is 
made  on  a  large  scale.  In  a  word,  this  heap  of 
cinders  and  lava  rock  is  stored  and  fortified,  and 
would  stand  a  siege. 

Very  soon  after  the  /S^^ray  arrived  I  received  a  note 
from  Captain  Blaxland,  the  commander  of  the  island, 
conveying  his  thanks  for  the  royal  mail  brought 
from  St.  Helena,  and  inviting  me  to  luncheon  with 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
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WEBST!!R,  N.Y.  MSSO 

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260 


SAILING  ALONE  ABOUND  THE  WOBLD 


I 


him  and  his  wife  and  sister  at  headquarters,  not 
far  away.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that  I 
availed  myself  of  the  captain's  hospitality  at  once. 
A  carriage  was  waiting  at  the  jetty  when  I  landed, 
and  a  sailor,  with  a  broad  grin,  led  the  horse  care- 
fully up  the  hill  to  the  captain's  house,  as  if  I  were 
a  lord  of  the  admiralty,  and  a  governor  besides; 
and  he  led  it  as  carefully  down  again  when  I  re- 
turned. On  the  following  day  I  visited  the  summit 
among  the  clouds,  the  same  team  being  provided, 
and  the  same  old  sailor  leading  the  horse.  There 
was  probably  not  a  man  on  the  island  at  that  mo- 
ment better  able  to  walk  than  I.  The  sailor  knew 
that.  I  finally  suggested  that  we  change  places. 
"Let  me  take  the  bridle,"  I  said,  "and  keep  the 
horse  from  bolting."  "Q-reat  Stone  Frigate!"  he 
exclaimed,  as  he  burst  into  a  h;ugh,  "  this  'ere  'oss 
would  n't  bolt  no  faster  nor  a  turtle.  If  I  did  n't 
tow  'im  'ard  we  'd  never  get  into  port."  I  walked 
most  of  the  way  over  the  steep  grades,  whereupon 
my  guide,  every  inch  a  sailor,  became  my  friend. 
Arriving  at  the  summit  of  the  island,  I  met  Mr. 
Schank,  the  farmer  from  Canada,  and  his  sister, 
living  very  cozily  in  a  house  among  the  rocks,  as 
snug  as  conies,  and  as  safe.  He  showed  me  over 
the  farm,  taking  me  through  a  tunnel  which  led 
from  one  field  to  the  other,  divided  ky  an  inacces- 
sible spur  of  mountain.  Mr.  Schank  said  that  he 
had  lost  many  cows  and  bullocks,  as  well  as  sheep, 
from  breakneck  over  the  steep  cliffs  and  precipices. 
One  cow,  he  L;?.id,  would  sometimes  hook  another 
right  over  a  precipice  to  destruction,  and  go  on 
feeding  unconcernedly.     It  seemed  that  the  ani- 


ASCENSION  ISLAND 


261 


inals  on  the  island  farm,  like  mankind  in  the  wide 
world,  found  it  all  too  small. 

On  the  26th  of  April,  while  I  was  ashore,  rollers 
came  in  which  rendered  launching  a  boat  impossi- 
ble. However,  the  sloop  being  securely  moored  to 
a  buoy  in  deep  water  outside  of  all  breakers,  she 
was  safe,  while  I,  in  the  best  of  quarters,  listened 
to  well- told  stories  among  the  officers  of  the  Stone 
Frigate.  On  the  evening  of  the  29th,  the  sea  hav- 
ing gone  down,  I  went  on  board  and  made  prepara- 
tions to  start  again  on  my  voyage  early  next  day, 
the  boatswain  of  the  island  and  his  crew  giving  me 
a  hearty  handshake  as  I  embarked  at  the  jetty. 

For  reasons  of  scientific  interest,  I  invited  in 
mid-ocean  the  most  thorough  investigation  con- 
cerning the  crew-list  of  the  Spray.  Very  few  had 
challenged  it,  and  perhaps  few  ever  will  do  so 
henceforth ;  but  for  the  benefit  of  the  few  that  may, 
I  wished  to  clench  beyond  doubt  the  fact  that  it 
was  not  at  all  necessary  in  the  expedition  of  a 
sloop  around  the  world  to  have  more  than  one  man 
for  the  crew,  all  told,  and  that  the  Spray  sailed 
with  only  one  person  on  board.  And  so,  by  ap- 
pointment. Lieutenant  Eagles,  the  executive  officer, 
in  the  morning,  just  as  I  was  ready  to  sail,  fumi- 
gated the  sloop,  rendering  it  impossible  for  a  person 
to  live  concealed  below,  and  proving  that  only  one 
person  was  on  board  when  she  arrived.  A  certifi- 
cate to  this  effect,  besides  the  official  documents 
from  the  many  consulates,  health  offices,  and  custom- 
houses, will  seem  to  many  superfluous;  but  this 
story  of  the  voyage  may  find  its  way  into  hands 
unfamiliar  with  the  business  of  these  offices  and  of 


4 


u 


y  i 

r.i 


ii; 


I'm 

it' 


;tili 


I 


i^l- 


262 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


their  ways  of  seeing  that  a  vessel's  papers,  and, 
above  all,  her  bills  of  health,  are  in  order. 

The  lieutenant's  certificate  being  made  out,  the 
Spray,  nothing  loath,  now  filled  away  clear  of 
the  sea-beaten  rocks,  and  the  trade-winds,  com- 
fortably cool  and  bracing,  sent  her  flying  along 
on  her  course.  On  May  8,  1898,  she  crossed  the 
track,  homeward  bound,  that  she  had  made  October 
2,  1895,  on  the  voyage  out.  She  passed  Fernando 
de  Noronha  at  night,  going  some  miles  south  of  it, 
and  so  I  did  not  see  the  island.  I  felt  a  content- 
ment in  knowing  that  the  Spray  had  encircled  the 
globe,  and  even  as  an  advent?  re  alone  I  was  in  no 
way  discouraged  as  to  its  utility,  and  said  to  mj'-- 
self,  "  Let  what  will  happen,  the  voyage  is  now  on 
record.''    A  period  was  made. 


11 


CHAPTER  XX 


In  the  favoring  current  oflE  Cape  St.  Roque,  Brazil — All  at  Fea re- 
garding the  Spanish-American  war — An  exchange  of  signalj 
with  the  battle-ship  Oregon — OflE  Dreyftis's  prison  on  Devil's 
Island — Reappearance  to  the  Spray  of  the  north  star — The  light 
on  Trinidad  —  A  charmiug  introduction  to  Grenada  —  Talks  to 
friendly  auditors. 

ON  May  10  there  was  a  great  change  in  the  con- 
dition of  the  sea ;  there  could  be  no  doubt  of 
my  longitude  now,  if  any  had  before  existed  in  my 
mind.  Strange  and  long-forgotten  current  ripples 
pattered  against  the  sloop's  sides  in  grateful  music; 
the  tune  arrested  the  car,  and  I  sat  quietly  listen- 
ing to  it  while  the  Spray  kept  on  her  course.  By 
these  current  ripples  I  was  assured  that  she  was 
now  off  St.  Roque  and  had  struck  the  current  which 
sweeps  around  that  cape.  The  trade- winds,  we  old 
sailors  say,  produce  this  current,  which,  in  its  course 
from  this  point  forward,  is  governed  by  the  coast- 
line of  Brazil,  Guiana,  Venezuela,  and,  as  some 
would  say,  by  the  Monroe  Doctrine. 

The  trades  had  been  blowing  fresh  for  some  time, 
and  the  current,  now  at  its  height,  amounted  to 
forty  miles  a  day.  This,  added  to  the  sloop's  run 
by  the  log,  made  the  handsome  day's  work  of  one 
hundred  and  eighty  miles  on  several  consecutive 
days.    I  saw  nothing  of  the  coast  of  Brazil,  though 

263 


264 


SAILING  ALONE  ABOUND  THE  WORLD 


I  was  not  many  leagues  off  and  was  always  in  the 
Brazil  current. 

I  did  not  know  that  war  with  Spain  had  been 
declared,  and  that  I  might  be  liable,  right  there,  to 
meet  the  enemy  and  be  captured.  Many  had  told 
me  at  Cape  Town  that,  in  their  opinion,  war  was 
inevitable,  and  they  said:  "The  Spaniard  will  get 
you !  The  Spaniard  will  get  you ! "  To  all  this  I 
could  only  say  that,  even  so,  he  would  not  get 
much.  Even  in  the  fever-heat  over  the  disaster 
to  the  Maine  I  did  not  think  there  would  be  war ; 
but  I  am  no  politician.  Indeed,  I  had  hardly 
given  the  matter  a  serious  thought  when,  on  the 
14th  of  May,  just  north  of  the  equi  ,tor,  and  near 
the  longitude  of  the  river  Amazon,  I  saw  first  a 
mast,  with  the  Stars  and  Stripes  floating  from  it, 
rising  astern  as  if  poked  up  out  of  the  sea,  and  then 
rapidly  appearing  on  the  horizon,  like  a  citadel,  the 
Oregon  !  As  she  came  near  I  saw  that  the  great 
ship  was  fljang  the  signals  "OB  T,"  which  read, 
"  Are  there  any  men-of-war  about  ? "  Right  under 
these  flags,  and  larger  than  the  Spraifs  mainsail, 
so  it  appeared,  was  the  yellowest  Spanish  flag  I 
ever  saw.  It  gave  me  nightmare  some  time  after 
when  I  reflected  on  it  in  my  dreams. 

I  did  not  make  out  the  Oregon^s  signals  till  she 
passed  ahead,  where  I  could  read  them  better,  for 
she  was  two  miles  away,  and  I  had  no  binoculars. 
"When  I  had  read  her  flags  I  hoisted  the  signal  "No," 
for  I  had  not  seen  any  Spanish  men-of-war ;  I  had 
not  been  looking  for  any.  My  final  signal,  "Let 
US  keep  together  for  mutual  protection,"  Captain 
Clark  did  not  seem  to  regard  as  necessary.    Per- 


in  the 


been 
3re,  to 
d  told 
ir  was 
ill  get 
this  I 
ot  get 
isaster 
e  war; 
hardly 
on  the 
d  near 
first  a 
rom  it, 
id  then 
iel,  the 
3  great 
li  read, 
;  under 
ainsail, 

flag  I 
e  after 

till  she 
ter,  for 
)culars. 
1  "No," 
;  I  had 
I,  "Let 
Haptain 
'.    Per- 


o 

CO 
00 

e8 
0* 

w 


!> 


266 


SAILING  ALOITE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


haps  my  small  flags  were  not  made  out ;  anyhow, 
the  Oregon  steamed  on  with  a  rush,  looking  for 
Spanish  men-of-war,  as  I  learned  afterward.  The 
OregorCs  great  flag  was  dipped  beautifully  three 
times  to  the  Spray^s  lowered  flag  as  she  passed  on. 
Both  had  crossed  the  line  only  a  few  hours  before. 
I  pondered  long  that  night  over  the  probability  of 
a  war  risk  now  coming  upon  the  Spray  after  she 
had  cleared  all,  or  nearly  all,  the  dangers  of  the  sea, 
but  finally  a  strong  hope  mastered  my  fears. 

On  the  17th  of  May,  the  Sprav,  coming  out  of  a 
storm  at  daylight,  made  DeviPs  Island,  two  points 
on  the  lee  bow,  not  far  off.  The  wind  was  still 
blowing  a  stiff  breeze  on  shore.  I  could  clearly  see 
the  dark-gray  buildings  on  the  island  as  the  sloop 
brought  it  abeam.  No  flag  or  sign  of  life  was  seen 
on  the  dreary  place. 

Later  in  the  day  a  French  bark  on  the  port  tack, 
making  for  Cayenne,  hove  in  sight,  close-hauled 
on  the  wind.  She  was  fading  to  leeward  fast. 
The  Spray  was  also  closed-  hauled,  and  was  lugging 
on  saU  to  secure  an  oflfing  on  the  starlioard  tack,  a 
heavy  swell  in  the  night  having  thrown  her  too 
near  the  shore,  and  now  I  considered  the  matter  of 
supplicating  a  change  of  wind.  I  had  already  en- 
joyed my  share  of  favoring  breezes  over  the  great 
oceans,  and  I  asked  myself  if  it  would  be  right  to 
have  the  wind  turned  now  all  into  my  sails  while 
the  Frenchman  was  bound  the  other  way.  A  head 
current,  which  he  stemmed,  together  with  a  scant 
wind,  was  bad  enough  for  him.  And  so  I  could 
only  say,  in  my  heart,  "  Lord,  let  matters  stand  as 
they  are,  but  do  not  help  the  Frenchman  any  more 


REAPPEAEANCE  OP  THE  NORTH  STAR 


267 


yen- 
great 
Iht  to 

^hile 
head 
Iscant 

jould. 

id  as 
I  more 


just  now,  for  what  would  suit  him  well  would  ruin 
me!" 

I  remembered  that  when  a  lad  I  heard  a  captain 
often  say  in  meeting  that  in  answer  to  a  prayer  of 
his  own  the  wind  changed  from  southeast  to  north- 
west, entirely  to  his  satisfaction.  He  was  a  good 
man,  but  did  this  glorify  the  Architect  —  the  Ruler 
of  the  winds  and  the  waves  f  Moreover,  it  was  not 
a  trade-wind,  as  I  remember  it,  that  changed  for 
him,  but  one  of  the  vari'aules  which  will  change 
when  you  ask  it,  if  you  ask  long  enough.  Again, 
this  man's  brother  maybe  was  not  bound  the  op- 
posite way,  well  content  with  a  fair  wind  himself, 
which  made  all  the  difference  in  the  world.^ 

On  May  18,  1898,  is  written  large  in  the  Spray^s 
log-book :  "  To-night,  in  latitude  7°  13'  N.,  for  the 
first  time  in  nearly  three  years  I  see  the  north  star.** 
The  Spray  on  the  day  following  logged  one  hun- 
dred and  forty-seven  miles.  To  this  I  add  thirty- 
five  miles  for  current  sweeping  her  onward.  On 
the  20th  of  May,  about  sunset,  the  island  of  To- 
bago, off  the  Orinoco,  came  into  view,  bearing  west 
by  north,  distant  twenty-two  miles.  The  Spray 
was  drawing  rapidly  toward  her  home  destination. 
Later  at  night,  while  running  free  along  the  coast 
of  Tobago,  the  wind  still  blowing  fresh,  I  was  star- 
tled by  the  sudden  flash  of  breakers  on  the  port 
bow  and  not  far  off.  I  luffed  instantly  offshore, 
and  then  tacked,  heading  in  for  the  island.    Find- 

1  The  Bishop  of  Melbourne  (commend  me  to  his  teachings)  refused  to  set 
aside  a  day  of  prayer  for  rain,  recommending  his  people  to  husband  water 
when  the  rainy  season  was  on.  In  like  r^anuer,  a  navigator  husbands  the 
wind,  keeping  a  weet'ier-gage  where  pnoticable. 


1     !■ 
1      t', 


268 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


ing  myself,  shortly  after,  close  in  with  the  land,  I 
tacked  again  offshore,  but  without  much  altering 
the  bearings  of  the  danger.  Sail  whichever  way  I 
would,  it  seemed  clear  that  if  the  sloop  weathered 
the  rocks  at  all  it  would  be  a  close  shave,  and  I 
watched  with  anxiety,  while  beating  against  the 
current,  always  losing  ground.  So  the  matter  stood 
hour  after  hour,  while  I  watched  the  flashes  of  light 
thrown  up  as  regularly  as  the  beats  of  the  long 
ocean  swells,  and  always  they  seemed  just  a  little 
nearer.  It  was  evidently  a  coral  reef, —  of  this  I 
had  not  the  slightest  doubt, —  and  a  bad  reef  at 
that.  Worse  still,  there  might  be  other  reefs  ahead 
forming  a  bight  into  which  the  current  would 
sweep  me,  and  where  I  should  be  hemmed  in  and 
finally  wrecked.  I  had  not  sailed  these  waters  since 
a  lad,  and  lamented  the  day  I  had  allowed  on 
board  the  goat  that  ate  my  chart.  I  taxed  my 
memory  of  sea  lore,  of  wrecks  on  sunken  reefs,  and 
of  pirates  harbored  among  coral  reefs  where  other 
ships  might  not  come,  but  nothing  that  I  could 
think  of  applied  to  the  island  of  Tobago,  save  the 
one  wreck  of  Robinson  Crusoe's  ship  in  the  fiction, 
and  that  gave  me  lictle  information  about  reefs. 
I  remembered  only  that  in  Crusoe's  case  he  kept 
his  powder  dry.  "  But  there  she  booms  again,"  I 
cried,  "  and  how  close  the  flash  is  now !  Almost 
aboard  was  that  last  breaker  I  But  you  '11  go  by, 
Spray y  old  girl!  'T  is  abeam  now!  One  surge 
more  I  and  oh,  one  more  like  that  will  clear  your 
ribs  and  keel ! "  And  I  slapped  her  on  the  tran- 
soiQ,  proud  of  her  last  noble  effort  to  leap  clear 
of  the  danger,  when  a  wave  greater  than  the  rest 


THE  LIGHT  ON  TRINmAD 


269 


threw  her  higher  than  before,  and,  behold,  from 
the  crest  of  it  was  revealed  at  once  all  there  was  of 
the  reef.  I  fell  back  in  a  coil  of  rope,  speechless 
and  amazed,  not  distressed,  but  rejoiced.  Alad- 
din's lamp !  My  fisherman's  own  lantern  I  It  was 
the  great  revolving  light  on  the  island  of  Trinidad, 
thirty  miles  away,  throwing  flashes  over  the  waves, 
which  had  deceived  me  I  The  orb  of  the  light  was 
now  dipping  on  the  horizon,  and  how  glorious  was 
the  sight  of  it!  But,  dear  Father  Neptune,  as  I 
live,  after  a  long  life  at  sea,  and  much  among 
corals,  I  would  have  made  a  solemn  declaration  to 
that  reef !  Through  all  the  rest  of  the  night  I  saw 
imaginary  reefs,  and  not  knowing  what  moment 
the  sloop  might  fetch  up  on  a  real  one,  I  tacked  off 
and  on  till  daylight,  as  nearly  as  possible  in  the 
same  track,  all  for  the  want  of  a  chart.  I  could 
have  nailed  the  St.  Helena  goat's  pelt  to  the  deck. 

My  course  was  now  for  Grenada,  to  which  I  car- 
ried letters  from  Mauritius.  About  midnight  of 
the  22d  of  May  I  arrived  at  the  island,  and  cast 
anchor  in  the  roads  off  the  town  of  St.  George, 
entering  the  inner  harbor  at  daylight  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  23d,  which  made  forty- two  days'  sailing 
from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  It  was  a  good  run, 
and  I  doffed  my  cap  again  to  the  pilot  of  the  Pinta, 

Lady  Bruce,  in  a  note  to  the  Spray  at  Port  Louis, 
said  Grenada  was  a  lovely  island,  and  she  wisl^pd 
the  sloop  might  call  there  on  the  voyage  home. 
When  the  Spray  arrived,  I  found  that  she  had 
been  fully  expected.  "  How  so  ? "  I  asked.  "  Oh, 
we  heard  that  you  were  at  Mauritius,"  they  said, 
**  and  from  Mauritius,  after  meeting  Sir  Charles 


! 


1!, 


5? 


270 


SAILINQ  ALONE  ABOUND  THE  WORLD 


Bruce,  our  old  governor,  we  knew  you  would  come  to 
Grenada.**  This  was  a  charming  introduction,  and  it 
brought  me  in  contact  with  people  worth  knowing. 
The  Spray  sailed  from  Grenada  on  the  28th  of 
May,  and  coasted  along  under  the  lee  of  the  An- 
tilles, arriving  at  the  island  of  Dominica  on  the 
30th,  where,  for  the  want  of  knowing  better,  I  cast 
anchor  at  the  quarantine  ground;  for  I  was  still 
without  a  chart  of  the  islands,  not  having  been  able 
to  get  one  even  at  Grenada.  Here  I  not  only  met 
with  further  disappointment  in  the  matter,  but  was 
threatened  with  a  fine  for  the  mistake  I  made  in 
the  anchorage.  There  were  no  ships  either  at  the 
quarantine  or  at  the  commercial  roads,  and  I  could 
not  see  that  it  made  much  difference  where  I  an- 
chored. But  a  negro  chap,  a  sort  of  deputy  harbor- 
master, coming  along,  thought  it  did,  and  he 
ordered  me  to  shift  to  the  other  anchorage,  which, 
in  truth,  I  had  already  investigated  and  did  not 
like,  because  of  the  heavier  roll  there  from  the  sea. 
And  so  instead  of  springing  to  the  sails  at  once  to 
shift,  I  said  I  would  leave  outright  as  soon  as  I 
could  procure  a  chart,  which  I  begged  he  would 
send  and  get  for  me.  "  But  I  say  you  mus'  move 
bef o'  you  gets  anything 't  all,"  he  insisted,  and  raising 
his  voice  so  that  all  the  people  alongshore  could  hear 
him,  he  added,  "An'  jes  now!"  Then  he  flew  into 
a  towering  passion  when  they  on  shore  snickered 
to  see  the  crew  of  the  Spray  sitting  calmly  by 
the  bulwark  instead  of  hoisting  sail.  "  I  tell  you 
dis  am  quarantine,"  he  shouted,  very  much  louder 
thar  before.  "  That 's  all  right,  general,"  I  replied ; 
"I  want  to  be  quara-ntined  anyhow."    "That  's 


TALKS  TO  FRIENDLY  AUDITORS 


271 


right,  boss,**  some  one  on  the  beach  cried,  **  that's 
right;  you  get  quarantined,"  while  others  "  outed 
to  the  deputy  to  "  make  de  white  trash  move  'long 
out  o'  dat."  They  were  about  equally  divided  on 
the  island  for  and  against  me.  The  man  who  had 
made  so  much  fuss  over  the  matter  gave  it  up 
when  he  found  that  I  wished  to  be  quarantined, 
and  sent  for  an  all-important  half- white,  who  soon 
came  alongside,  starched  from  clue  to  earing.  He 
stood  in  the  boat  as  straight  up  and  down  as  a 
fathom  of  pump-water  —  a  marvel  of  importance. 
"Charts!"  cried  I,  as  soon  as  his  shirt-collar 
appeared  over  the  sloop's  rail;  "have  you  any 
charts  f  "  "  No,  sah,"  he  replied  with  much-stiffened 
dignity ;  "  no,  sah ;  cha'ts  do's  n't  grow  on  dis  isl- 
and." Not  doubting  the  information,  I  tripped  an- 
chor immediately,  as  I  had  intended  to  do  from  the 
first,  and  mado  all  sail  for  St.  John,  Antigua,  where 
I  arrived  on  the  1st  of  June,  having  sailed  with 
great  caution  in  midchannel  all  the  way. 

The  Spray,  always  in  good  company,  now  fell  in 
with  the  port  officers'  steam-launch  at  the  harbor 
entrance,  having  on  board  Sir  Francis  Fleming, 
governor  of  the  Leeward  Islands,  who,  to  the 
delight  of  "  all  hands,"  gave  the  officer  in  charge 
instructions  to  tow  my  ship  into  port.  On  the  fol- 
lowing day  his  Excellency  and  Lady  Fleming, 
along  with  Captain  Burr,  R.  N.,  paid  me  a  visit. 
The  court-house  was  tendered  free  to  me  at  An- 
tigua, as  was  done  also  at  Grenada,  and  at  each 
place  a  highly  intelligent  audience  filled  the  hall 
to  listen  to  a  talk  about  the  seas  the  Spray  had 
crossed,  and  the  countries  she  had  visited. 


CHAPTER  XXI 


Clearing  for  home — In  the  calm  belt — A  sea  covered  with  sargasso 
—  The  jibstay  parts  in  a  gale — Welcomed  by  a  tornado  off  Fire 
Island — A  change  of  plan  —  Arrival  at  Newport — End  of  a  cruise 
of  over  forty-six  thousand  miles  —  The  Sj^ray  again  at  Fairhavon. 

ON"  the  4tli  of  June,  1898,  the  Spray  cleared  from 
the  United  States  consulate,  and  her  license  to 
sail  single-handed,  even  round  the  world,  was  re- 
turned to  her  for  the  last  time.  The  United  States 
consul,  Mr.  Hunt,  before  handing  the  paper  to  me, 
wrote  on  it,  as  General  Eoberts  had  done  at  Cape 
Town,  a  short  commentary  on  the  voyage.  The 
document,  by  regular  course,  is  now  lodged  in 
the  Treasury  Department  at  Washington,  D.  C. 

On  June  5, 1898,  the  Spray  sailed  for  a  home 
port,  heading  first  direct  for  Cape  Hatteras.  On 
the  8th  of  June  she  passed  under  the  sun  from 
south  to  north ;  the  sun's  declination  on  that  day 
was  22°  54',  and  the  latitude  of  the  Sp-ay  was  the 
same  just  before  noon.  Many  think  it  is  exces- 
sively hot  right  under  the  sun.  It  is  not  neces- 
sarily so.  As  a  matter  of  fact  the  thermometer 
stands  at  a  bearable  point  whenever  there  is  a 
breeze  and  a  ripple  on  the  sea,  even  exactly  under 
the  sun.  It  is  often  hotter  in  cities  and  on  sandy 
shores  in  higher  latitudes. 

379 


m  THE  CALM  BELT 


273 


U 


sargasso 
.  off  Fire 
!  a  cruise 
irhavon. 

dfrom 
Biise  to 
7as  re- 
States 
to  me, 
t  Cape 
The 
?ed  in 
K  C. 
home 
s.    On 
from 
at  day 
ras  the 
exces- 
neces- 
ometer 
e  is  a 
•under 
sandy 


The  Spray  was  booming  joyously  along  for  hom^ 
now,  making  her  usual  good  time,  when  of  a  sud- 
den she  struck  the  horse  latitudes,  and  her  sail 
flapped  lir^p  in  a  calm.  I  had  almost  forgotten 
this  calm  uelt,  or  had  come  to  regard  it  as  a  myth. 
I  now  found  it  real,  however,  and  difficult  to  cross. 
This  was  as  it  should  have  been,  for,  after  '-'il  of 
the  dangers  of  the  sea,  the  dust-storm  on  the  Cv^ast 
of  Africa,  the  "  rain  of  blood  ^  in  Australia,  and 
the  war  risk  when  nearing  home,  a  natural  expe- 
rience would  have  been  missing  had  the  calm  of 
the  horse  latitudes  been  left  out.  Anyhow,  a  philo- 
sophical turn  of  thought  now  was  not  amiss,  else 
one's  patience  would  have  given  out  almost  at  the 
harbor  entrance.  The  term  of  her  probation  was 
eight  days.  Evening  after  evening  during  this 
time  I  read  by  the  light  of  a  candle  on  deck.  There 
was  no  wind  at  all,  and  the  sea  became  smooth  and 
monotonous.  For  three  days  I  saw  a  full-rigged 
ship  on  the  horizon,  also  becalmed. 

Sargasso,  scattered  over  the  sea  in  bunches,  or 
trailed  curiously  along  down  the  wind  in  narrow 
lanes,  now  gathered  together  in  great  fields,  strange 
sea-animals,  little  and  big,  swimming  in  and  out, 
the  most  curious  among  them  being  a  tiny  sea- 
horse which  I  captured  and  brought  home  preserved 
in  a  bottle.  But  on  the  18th  of  June  a  gale  began 
to  blow  from  the  southwest,  and  the  sargasso  was 
dispersed  again  in  windrows  and  lanes. 

vOn  this  day  there  was  soon  wind  enough  and  to 
spare.  The  same  might  have  been  said  of  the  sea 
The  Spray  was  in  the  midst  of  the  turbulent  Gulf 
Stream  itself.    She  was  jumping  like  a  porpoise 


ill 


!  't- 


is 


274 


SAILING  ALONE  ABOUND  THE  WORLD 


over  the  uneasy  waves.  As  if  to  make  up  for  lost 
time,  she  seemed  to  touch  only  the  high  places. 
Under  a  sudden  shock  and  strain  her  rigging  began 
to  give  out.  First  the  main-sheet  strap  was  carried 
away,  and  then  the  peak  halyard-block  broke  from 
the  gaff.  It  was  time  to  reef  and  refit,  and  so  when 
"  all  hands  "  came  on  deck  I  went  about  doing  that. 
The  19th  of  June  was  fine,  but  on  the  morning 
of  the  20th  another  gale  was  blowing,  accompanied 
by  cross-seas  that  tumbled  about  and  shook  things 
up  with  great  confusion.  Just  as  I  was  thinking 
about  taking  in  sail  the  jibstay  broke  at  the  mast- 
head, and  fell,  jib  and  all,  into  the  sea.  It  gave  me 
the  strangest  sensation  to  see  the  bellying  sail  fall, 
and  where  it  haii  been  suddenly  to  see  only  space. 
However,  I  was  at  the  bows,  with  presence  of  mind 
to  gather  it  in  on  the  first  wave  that  rolled  up,  be- 
fore it  was  torn  or  trailed  under  the  sloop's  bottom. 
I  found  by  the  amount  of  work  done  in  three  min- 
utes' or  less  time  that  I  had  by  no  means  grown 
stiff-jointed  on  the  voyage ;  anyhow,  scurvy  had 
not  set  in,  and  being  now  within  a  few  degrees 
of  home,  I  might  complete  the  voyage,  I  thought, 
without  the  aid  of  a  doctor.  Yes,  my  health  was 
still  good,  and  I  could  skip  about  the  decks  in  a 
lively  manner,  but  could  I  climb  ?  The  great  King 
Neptune  tested  me  severely  at  this  time,  for  the 
stay  being  gone,  the  mast  itself  switched  about  like 
a  reed,  and  was  not  easy  to  climb ;  but  a  gun-tackle 
purchase  was  got  up,  and  the  stay  set  taut  from 
the  masthead,  for  I  had  spare  blocks  and  rope  on 
Hoard  with  which  to  rig  it,  and  the  jib,  with  a  reef 
in  it,  was  soon  pulling  again  like  a  "  sodger  ^  for 


A  TORNADO  OFF  FIRE  ISLAND 


275 


home.  Had  the  Spray^s  mast  not  been  well 
stepped,  however,  it  would  have  been  "John 
Walker''  when  the  stay  broke.  Good  work  in 
the  building  of  my  vessel  stood  me  always  in 
good  stead. 

On  the  23d  of  June  I  was  at  last  tired,  tired,  tired 
of  baffling  squalls  and  fretful  cobble-seas.  I  had  not 
seen  a  vessel  for  days  and  days,  where  I  had  expected 
the  company  of  at  least  a  schooner  now  and  then. 
As  to  the  whistling  of  the  wind  through  the  rig- 
ging, and  the  slopping  of  the  sea  against  the  sloop's 
sides,  that  was  well  enough  in  its  way,  and  we 
could  not  have  got  on  without  it,  the  Spray  and  I ; 
but  there  was  so  much  of  it  now,  and  it  lasted  so 
long !  At  noon  of  that  day  a  winterish  storm  was 
upon  us  from  the  nor'west.  In  the  Gulf  Stream, 
thus  late  in  June,  hailstones  were  pelting  the  Spray ^ 
and  lightning  was  pouring  down  from  the  clouds, 
not  in  flashes  alone,  but  in  almost  continuous 
streams.  By  slants,  however,  day  and  night  I 
worked  the  sloop  in  toward  the  coast,  where,  on  the 
25th  of  June,  off  Fire  Island,  she  fell  into  the  tor- 
nado which,  an  hour  earlier,  had  swept  over  New 
York  city  with  lightning  that  wrecked  buildings 
and  sent  trees  flying  abcit  in  splinters ;  even  ships 
at  docks  had  parted  their  moorings  and  smashed 
into  other  ships,  doing  great  damage.  It  was  the 
climax  storm  of  the  voyage,  but  I  saw  the  unmis- 
takable character  of  it  in  time  to  have  all  snug 
aboard  and  receive  it  under  bare  poles.  Even  so, 
the  sloop  shivered  when  it  struck  her,  and  she 
heeled  over  unwillingly  on  her  beam  ends;  but 
rounding  to,  with  a  sea-anchor  ahead,  she  righted 


i; 


276 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


and  faced  out  the  storm.  In  the  midst  of  the  gale 
I  could  do  no  more  than  look  on,  for  what  is  a  man 
in  a  storm  like  this  ?  I  had  seen  one  electric  storm 
on  the  voyage,  off  the  coast  of  Madagascar,  but  it 
was  unlike  this  one.  Here  the  lightning  kept  on 
longer,  and  thunderbolts  fell  in  the  sea  all  about. 
Up  to  this  time  I  was  bound  for  New  York ;  but 
when  all  was  over  I  rose,  made  sail,  and  hove  the 
sloop  round  from  starboard  to  port  tack,  to  make 
for  a  quiet  harbor  to  think  the  matter  over ;  and 
so,  under  short  sail,  she  reached  in  for  the  coast  of 
Long  Island,  while  I  sat  thinking  and  watching 
the  lights  of  coasting-vessels  which  now  began  to 
appear  in  sis^ht.  Reflections  of  the  voyage  so 
nearly  finished  stole  in  upon  me  now ;  many  tunes 
I  had  hummed  again  and  again  came  back  once 
more.  I  found  myself  repeating  fragments  of  a 
hymn  often  sung  by  a  dear  Christian  woman  of 
Fairhaven  when  I  was  rebuilding  the  Spray.  I  was 
to  hear  once  more  and  only  once,  in  profound  so- 
lemnity, the  metaphorical  hymn : 

By  waves  and  wind  I  'm  tossed  and  driven. 


And  again : 

But  still  my  little  ship  outbraves 

The  blust'ring  winds  and  stormy  waves. 

After  this  storm  I  saw  the  pilot  of  the  Finta  no 
more. 

The  experiences  of  the  voyage  of  the  Spray, 
reaching  over  three  years,  had  been  to  me  like 
reading  a  book,  and  one  that  was  more  and  more 


I 
I 
1 

c 


ii| 


ARRIVAL  AT  NEWPORT 


277 


interesting  as  I  turned  the  pages,  till  I  had  come 
now  to  the  last  page  of  all,  and  the  one  more  inten- 
esting  than  any  of  the  rest. 

When  daylight  came  I  saw  that  the  sea  had 
changed  color  from  dark  green  to  light.  I  threw 
the  lead  and  got  soundings  in  thirteen  fathoms.  I 
made  the  land  soon  after,  some  miles  east  of  Fire 
Island,  and  sailing  thence  before  a  pleasant  breeze 
along  the  coast,  made  for  Newport.  The  weather 
after  the  furious  gale  was  remarkably  fine.  The 
Sjpray  rounded  Montauk  Point  early  in  the  after- 
noon ;  Point  Judith  was  abeam  at  dark ;  she  fetched 
in  at  Beavertail  next.  Sailing  on,  she  had  one 
more  danger  to  pass  —  Newport  harbor  was  mined. 
The  Spray  hugged  the  rocks  along  where  neither 
friend  nor  foe  could  come  if  drawing  much  water, 
and  where  she  would  not  disturb  the  guard-ship  in 
the  channel.  It  was  close  work,  but  it  was  safe 
enough  so  long  as  she  hugged  the  rocks  close,  and 
not  the  mines.  Flitting  by  a  low  point  abreast  of 
the  guard-ship,  the  dear  old  Dexter^  which  I  knew 
well,  some  one  on  board  of  her  sang  out,  "  There 
goes  a  craft!''  I  threw  up  a  light  at  once  and 
heard  the  hail,  "  Spray ^  ahoy  I  ^  It  was  the  voice 
of  a  friend,  and  I  knew  that  a  friend  would  not  fire 
on  the  Spray.  I  eased  off  the  main-sheet  now,  and 
the  Spray  swung  off  for  the  beacon-lights  of  the 
inner  harbor.  At  last  she  reached  port  in  safety, 
and  there  at  1  a.  m.  on  June  27,  1898,  cast  anchor, 
after  the  cruise  of  more  than  forty-six  thousand 
miles  round  the  world,  during  an  absence  of  three 
years  and  two  months,  with  two  days  over  for 
coming  up. 


f 


|i 


: 


278 


SAILING  ALONE  ABOUND  THE  WOELD 


"Was  the  crew  well  f  Was  I  not  ?  1  had  profited 
in  many  ways  by  the  voyage.  I  had  even  gained 
flesh,  and  actually  weighed  a  pound  niore  than 
when  I  sailed  from  Boston.  As  tor  aging,  why,  the 
dial  of  my  life  was  turned  back  till  my  friends  all 
said,  "  Slocum  is  young  again."  And  so  I  was,  at 
least  ten  years  younger  than  the  day  I  felled  the 
first  tree  for  the  construction  of  the  Spray, 

My  ship  was  also  in  better  condition  than  when 
she  sailed  from  Boston  on  her  long  voyage.  She 
was  still  as  sound  as  a  nut,  and  as  tight  as  the 
best  ship  afloat.  She  did  not  leak  a  drop  —  not 
one  drop  I  The  pump,  which  had  been  little  used 
before  reaching  Australia,  had  not  been  rigged 
since  that  at  all. 

The  first  name  on  the  Spray^s  visitors'  book  in 
the  home  port  was  written  by  the  one  who  always 
said, "  The  Spray  will  come  back.^  The  Spray  was 
not  quite  satisfied  till  I  sailed  her  around  to  her 
birthplace,  Fairhaven,  Massachusetts,  farther  along. 
I  had  myself  a  desire  to  return  to  the  place  of  the 
very  beginning  whence  I  had,  as  I  have  said,  re- 
newed my  age.  So  on  July  3,  with  a  fair  wind,  she 
waltzed  beautifully  round  the  coast  and  up  the 
Acushnet  Eiver  to  Fairhaven,  where  I  secured  her 
to  the  cedar  spile  driven  in  the  bank  to  hold  her 
when  she  was  laimched.  I  could  bring  her  no 
nearer  home. 

If  the  Spray  discovered  no  continents  on  her 
voyage,  it  may  be  that  there  were  no  more  con- 
tinents to  be  discovered;  she  did  not  seek  new 
worlds,  or  sail  to  powwow  about  the  dangers  of 
the  seas.    The  sea  has  been  much  maligned^    To 


irofited 
gained 
B  thau 
hy,  the 
iDds  all 
was,  at 
led  the 

n  when 
B.    She 

as  the 
p  —  not 
le  used 

rigged 

book  in 
I  always 
ray  was 
to  her 
along, 
of  the 
aid,  re- 
nd, she 
up  the 
red  her 
old  her 
her  no 

on  her 
re  con- 
ik  new 
gers  of 
5d.    To 


|l 


I 


The  Sjiruy  iu  the  storm  off  New  York. 


t< 

s< 

tl 

B 

T 
N 

w 

h( 
d6 
to 
in 

m< 


ABBIVAL   AT    NEWPORT 


279 


I  ,; 


find  one's  way  to  lands  already  discovered  is  a 
good  thing,  and  the  Spray  made  the  discovery  that 
even  the  worst  sea  is  not  so  terrible  to  a  well- 
appointed  ship.  No  king,  no  country,  no  treasury 
at  all,  was  taxed  for  the  voyage  of  the  Spray,  and 
she  accomplished  all  that  she  undertook  to  do. 

To  succeed,  however,  in  anything  at  all,  one 
should  go  understandingly  about  his  work  and  be 
prepared  for  every  emergency.  I  see,  as  I  look 
back  o\  jr  ray  own  small  achievement,  a  kit  of  not 
too  elaborate  carpenters'  tools,  a  tin  clock,  and 
some  carpet-tacks,  not  a  great  many,  to  facilitate 
the  enterprise  as  already  mentioned  in  the  story. 
But  above  all  to  be  taken  into  account  were  some 
years  of  schooling,  where  I  studied  with  diligence 
Neptune's  laws,  and  these  laws  I  tried  to  obey 
when  I  sailed  overseas ;  it  was  worth  the  while. 

And  now,  without  having  wearied  my  friends,  I 
hope,  with  detailed  scientific  accounts,  theories,  or 
deductions,  I  will  only  say  that  I  have  endeavored 
to  tell  just  the  story  of  the  adventure  itself.  This, 
in  my  own  poor  way,  having  been  done,  I  now 
moor  ship,  weather-bitt  cables,  and  leave  the  sloop 
Spray,  for  the  present,  safe  in  port. 


I' 


n. 

It 


Appendix 


f 


c 


Again  tied  to  the  old  stake  at  Fairliaven. 


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a: 
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ai 

be 


APPENDIX 


LINES  AND  SAIL-PLAN  OF  THE  "  SPRAY  ** 

Her  pedigree  so  far  as  known  —  llie  Lines  of  the  Spray — Her 
self -steering  qualities  —  Sail-plan  and  steering-gear  —  An  un- 
precedented feat  —  A  final  word  of  cheer  to  would-be  navigators 

FROM  a  feeling  of  diffidence  toward  sailors  of 
gi*eat  experience,  I  refrained,  in  the  preceding 
chapters  as  prepared  for  serial  publication  in  the 
"  Century  Magazine,"  from  entering  fully  into  the 
details  of  the  Spray^s  build,  and  of  the  primitive 
methods  employed  to  sail  her.  Having  had  no 
yachting  experience  at  all,  I  had  no  means  of 
knowing  that  the  trim  vessels  seen  in  our  harbors 
and  near  the  land  could  not  all  do  as  much,  or  even 
more,  than  the  Spray,  sailing,  for  example,  on  a 
course  with  the  helm  lashed. 

I  was  aware  that  no  other  vessel  had  sailed  in 
this  manner  around  the  globe,  but  would  have  been 
loath  to  say  that  another  could  not  do  it,  or  that 
many  men  had  not  sailed  vessels  of  a  certani  rig  in 
that  manner  as  far  as  they  wished  to  go.  I  was 
greatly  amused,  therefore,  by  the  flat  assertions  of 
an  expert  that  it  could  not  be  done. 

The  Spray f  as  I  sailed  her,  was  entirely  a  new 
boat,  built  over  from  a  sloop  which  bore  the  same 
name,  and  which,  tradition  said,  had  first  served  as 

988 


ii 


284 


SAILING  ALONE  ABOUND  THE  WORLD 


an  oysterman,  about  a  liundred  years  ago,  on  the 
coast  of  Delaware.  There  was  no  record  in  the 
custom-house  of  where  she  was  built.  She  was  once 
owned  at  Noank,  Connecticut,  afterward  in  New 
Bedford  and  when  Captain  Eben  Pierce  presented 


Plan  of  the  after  cabin  of  the  Spray. 

her  to  me,  at  the  end  of  her  natural  life,  she  stood,  as 
I  have  already  described,  propped  up  in  a  field  at 
Fairhaven.  Her  lines  were  supposed  to  be  those 
of  a  North  Sea  fisherman.  In  rebuilding  timber 
by  timber  and  plank  by  plank,  I  added  to  her  free- 


THE  LINES  OP  THE  "SPRAY" 


285 


board  twelve  inches  amidships,  eighteen  inches  for- 
ward, and  fourteen  inches  aft,  thereby  increasing 
her  sheer,  and  making  her,  as  I  thought,  a  better 
deep-water  ship.  I  will  not  repeat  the  history  of 
the  rebuilding  of  the  Sprai/j  which  I  have  detailed 
in  my  first  chapter,  except  to  say  that,  when  fin- 
ished, her  dimensions  were  thirty-six  feet  nine 
inches  over  all,  fourteen  feet  two  inches  wide,  and 
four  feet  two  inches  deep  in  the  hold,  her  tonnage 
being  nine  tons  net,  and  twelve  and  seventy  one- 
hundredths  tons  gross. 

I  gladly  produce  the  lines  of  the  Spray,  with  such 
hints  as  my  really  limited  fore-and-aft  sailing  will 
allow,  my  seafaring  life  having  been  spent  mostly 
in  barks  and  ships.  No  pains  have  been  spared  to 
give  them  accurately.  The  Spray  was  taken  from 
New  York  to  Bridgeport,  Connecticut,  and,  under 
the  supervision  of  the  Park  City  Yacht  Club,  was 
hauled  out  of  water  and  very  carefully  measured 
in  every  way  to  secure  a  satisfactory  result.  Cap- 
tain Robins  produced  the  model.  Our  young 
yachtsmen,  pleasuring  in  the  "lilies  of  the  sea,'^ 
very  naturally  will  not  think  favorably  of  my  craft. 
They  have  a  right  to  their  opinion,  while  I  stick  to 
mine.  They  will  take  exceptions  to  her  shor*;  ends, 
the  advantage  of  these  being  most  apparent  in  a 
heavy  sea. 

Some  things  about  the  Spray* s  deck  might  be 
fashioned  differently  without  materially  affecting 
the  vessel.  I  know  of  no  good  reason  why  for 
a  party-boat  a  cabin  trunk  migiit  not  be  built 
amidships  instead  of  far  aft,  like  the  one  on  her, 
which  leaves  a  very  narrow  space  between  the 


286 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


wheel  and  the  line  of  the  companionway.  Some 
even  say  that  I  might  have  improved  the  shape 
of  her  Btern.  I  do  not  know  about  that.  The 
water  leaves  her  run  sharp  after  bearing  her  to 
the  last  inch,  and  no  suction  is  formed  by  undue 
cutaway. 

Smooth- water  sailors  say,  "Where  is  her  over- 
hang!" They  never  crossed  the  Gulf  Stream  in 
a  nor'easter,  and  they  do  not  know  what  is  best 
in  all  weathers.  For  your  life,  build  no  fantail 
overhang  on  a  craft  going  offshore.  As  a  sailor 
judges  his  prospective  ship  by  a  "blow  of  the 
eye''  when  he  takes  interest  enough  to  look  her 
over  at  all,  so  I  judged  the  Spray ^  and  I  was  not 
deceived. 

In  a  sloop-rig  the  Spray  made  that  part  of  ner 
voyage  reaching  from  Boston  through  the  Strait  of 
Magellan,  during  which  she  experienced  the  great- 
est variety  of  weather  conditions.  The  yawl-rig 
then  adopted  was  an  improvement  only  in  that  it 
reduced  the  size  of  a  rather  heavy  mainsail  and 
slightly  improved  her  steering  qualities  on  the 
wind.  When  the  wind  was  aft  the  jigger  was  not 
in  use;  invariably  it  was  then  furled.  With  her 
boom  broad  off  and  with  the  wind  two  points  on 
the  quarter  the  Spray  sailed  her  truest  course.  It 
never  took  long  to  find  the  amount  of  helm,  or 
angle  of  rudder,  required  to  hold  her  on  her  course, 
and  when  that  was  found  I  lashed  the  wheel  with 
it  at  that  angle.  The  mainsail  then  drove  her, 
and  the  main-jib,  with  its  sheet  boused  flat  amid- 
ships or  a  little  to  one  side  or  the  other,  added 
greatly  to  the  steadying  power.  Then  if  the  wind 
was  even  strong  or  squally  I  would  sometimes  set 


HER  SELF-STEERING  QUALITIES 


287 


Some 
shape 
The 
ler  to 
undue 

over- 
am  in 
s  best 
:antail 

sailor 
)f  the 
)k  her 
as  not 

of  iier 

rait  of 

great- 

,wl-rig 

;hat  it 

il  and 

n  the 

IS  not 

;h  her 

its  on 

\e.    It 

m,  or 

ourse, 

I  with 

her, 

amid- 

added 

wind 

es  set 


f 


r 


a  flying-jib  also, 
on  a  pole  rigged 
out  on  the  bow- 
sprit, with  the 
sheets  hauled  flat 
amidships,  which 
was  a  safe  thing  to 
do,  even  in  a  gale 
of  wind.  A  stout 
downhaul  on  the 
gaff  was  a  neces- 
sity, because  with- 
out it  the  mainsail 
might  not  have 
come  down  when  I 
wished  to  lower  it 
in  a  breeze.  The 
amount  of  helm 
required  varied 
according  to  the 
amount  of  wind 
and  its  direction. 
These  points  are 
quickly  gathered 
from    practice. 

Briefly  I  have 
to  say  that  when 
close-hauled  in  a 
light  wind  under 
all  sail  she  re- 
quired little  or 
no  weather  helm. 
As  the  wind  in- 
creased I  would  go 


SAIL-PLAN  AND  STEERING-GEAB 


289 


M 

«c  ^  o  S 

- "i  - 

5  V  c  fl 
■c  •  — 


.a 


a 


^a-o 


s-ss 


5  |-!5i 


CO 


I 


Sufti! 


Hi!  I 

•c-"  9  «  "^ 
•S  c-a^-g 

•  ^«  a  >« 


on  deck,  if  below,  and  turn  the  wheel  up  a  spoke 
more  or  less,  relash  it,  or,  as  sailors  say,  put  it  in  a 
beeket,  and  then  leave  it  as  before. 

To  answer  the  questions  that  might  be  asked  to 
meet  every  contingency  would  be  a  pleasure,  but 
it  would  overburden  my  book.  I  can  only  say 
here  that  much  comes  to  one  in  practice,  and 
that,  with  such  as  love  sailing,  mother-wit  is  the 


Steering-gear  of  the  Spray. 

The  dotted  Uuet  are  the  ropei  uaed  to  Uub  the  wheel.    In  practicR  the  looie  endi  wen  beUyed,  one 
over  the  other,  oruund  the  top  ipoke*  of  the  wbeeL 

best  teacher,  after  experience.  Labor-saving  appli- 
ances t  There  were  none.  The  sails  were  hoisted 
by  hand ;  the  halyards  were  rove  through  ordinary 
ships'  blocks  with  common  patent  rollers.  Of 
course  the  sheets  were  all  belayed  aft. 

The  windlass  used  was  in  the  shape  of  a  winch, 
or  crab,  I  think  it  is  called.    I  had  three  anchors. 


I 


290 


SAILING  ALONE  ABOUND  THE  WORLD 


weighing  forty  pounds,  one  hundred  pounds,  and 
one  hundred  and  eighty  pounds  respectively.  The 
windlass  and  the  forty-pound  anchor,  and  the  "  fid- 
dle-head," or  carving,  on  the  end  of  the  cutwater, 
belonged  to  the  original  Spray,  The  ballast,  con- 
crete cement,  was  stanchioned  down  securely. 
There  was  no  iron  or  lead  or  other  weight  on  the 
keel. 

If  I  took  measurements  by  rule  I  did  not  set 
them  down,  and  after  sailing  even  the  longest  voy- 
age in  her  I  could  not  tell  offhand  the  length  of  her 
mast,  boom,  or  gaff.  I  did  not  know  the  center  of 
effort  in  her  sails,  except  as  it  hit  me  in  practice  at 
sea,  nor  did  I  care  a  rope  yarn  about  it.  Mathe- 
matical calculations,  however,  are  all  right  in  a 
good  boat,  and  the  Spray  could  have  stood  them. 
She  was  easily  balanced  and  easily  kept  in  trim. 

Some  of  the  oldest  and  ablest  shipmasters  have 
asked  how  it  was  possible  for  her  to  hold  a  true 
course  before  the  wind,  which  was  just  what  the 
Spray  did  for  weeks  together.  One  of  these  gen- 
tlemen, a  highly  esteemed  shipmaster  and  friend, 
testified  as  government  expert  in  a  famous  mur- 
der trial  in  Boston,  not  long  since,  that  a  ship 
would  not  hold  her  course  long  enough  for  the 
steersman  to  leave  the  helm  to  cut  the  captain's 
throat.  Ordinarily  it  would  be  so.  One  might  say 
that  with  a  square-rigged  ship  it  would  always  be 
so.  But  the  Spray ^  at  the  moment  of  the  tragedy  in 
question,  was  sailing  around  the  globe  with  no  one 
at  the  helm,  except  at  intervals  more  or  less  rare. 
However,  I  may  say  here  that  this  would  have  had 
no  bearing  on  the  murder  case  in  Boston.    In  all 


AN  UNPRECEDENTED  FEAT 


291 


probability  Justice  laid  her  hand  on  the  true  rogue. 
In  other  words,  in  the  case  of  a  model  and  rig  simi- 
lar to  that  of  the  tragedy  ship,  I  should  myself 
testify  as  did  the  nautical  experts  at  the  trial. 

But  see  the  run  the  Spray  made  from  Thursday 
Island  to  the  Keeling  Cocos  Islands,  twenty-seven 
hundred  miles  distant,  in  twenty-three  days,  with 
no  one  at  the  helm  in  that  time,  save  for  about 
one  hour,  from  land  to  land.    No  other  ship  in  the 


Body-plan  of  the  Spray, 


history  of  the  world  ever  performed,  under  similar 
circumstances,  the  feat  on  so  long  and  continuous 
a  voyage.  It  was,  however,  a  delightful  midsum- 
mer sail.  No  one  can  know  the  pleasure  of  sailing 
free  over  the  great  oceans  save  those  who  have  had 
the  experience.  It  is  not  necessary,  in  order  to 
realize  the  utmost  enjoyment  of  going  around  the 
globe,  to  sail  alone,  yet  for  once  and  the  first  time 
there  was  a  great  deal  of  fun  in  it.    My  friend  the 


292 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


government  expert,  and  saltest  of  salt  sea-captains, 
standing  only  yesterday  on  the  deck  of  the  Spray ^ 
was  convinced  of  her  famous  qualities,  and  he 
spoke  enthusiastically  of  selling  his  farm  on  Cape 
Cod  and  putting  to  sea  again. 

To  young  men  contemplating  a  voyage  I  would 
say  go.  The  tales  of  rough  usage  are  for  the  most 
part  exaggerations,  as  also  are  the  stories  of  sea 
danger.  I  had  a  fair  schooling  in  the  so-called 
"  hard  ships  "  on  the  hard  Western  Ocean,  and  in 
the  years  there  I  do  not  remember  having  once 
been  "  called  out  of  my  name."  Such  recollections 
have  endeared  the  sea  to  me.  I  owe  it  further  to  the 
officers  of  all  the  ships  I  ever  sailed  in  as  boy  and 
man  to  say  that  not  one  ever  lifted  so  much  as  a 
finger  to  me.  I  did  not  live  among  angels,  but 
among  men  who  could  be  roused.  My  wish  was, 
though,  to  please  the  officers  of  my  ship  wherever  I 
was,  and  so  I  got  on.  Dangers  there  are,  to  be 
sure,  on  the  sea  as  well  as  on  the  land,  but  the  in- 
telligence and  skill  God  gives  to  man  reduce  these  to 
a  minimum.  And  here  comes  in  again  the  skilfully 
modeled  ship  worthy  to  sail  the  seas. 

To  face  the  elements  is,  to  be  sure,  no  light  mat- 
ter when  the  sea  is  in  its  grandest  mood.  You 
must  then  know  the  sea,  and  know  that  you  know 
it,  and  not  forget  that  it  was  made  to  be  sailed 
over. 

I  have  given  in  the  plans  of  the  Spray  the  di- 
mensions of  such  a  ship  as  I  should  call  seaworthy 
in  all  conditions  of  weather  and  on  all  seas.  It  is 
only  right  to  say,  though,  that  to  insure  a  reasona- 
ble measure  of  success,  experience  should  sail  with 


!■ 


Imat- 
You 
mow 
died 

di- 
Irthy 
It  is 
lona- 
rith 


I 

oa 


294 


SAILING  ALONE  AROUND  THE  WORLD 


the  ship.  But  in  order  to  be  a  successful  navigator 
or  sailor  it  is  not  necessary  to  hang  a  tar-bucket 
about  one's  neck.  On  the  other  hand,  much 
thought  concerning  the  brass  buttons  one  should 
wear  adds  nothing  to  the  safety  of  the  ship. 

I  may  some  day  see  reason  to  modify  the  model 
of  the  dear  old  Spray ^  but  out  of  my  limited  expe- 
rience I  strongly  recommend  her  wholesome  lines 
over  those  of  pleasure-fliers  for  safety.  Practice  in 
a  craft  such  as  the  Spray  will  teach  young  sailors 
and  fit  them  for  the  more  important  vessels.  I  my- 
self learned  more  seamanship,  I  think,  on  the  Spray 
than  on  any  other  ship  I  ever  sailed,  and  as  for 
patience,  the  greatest  of  all  the  virtii'es,  even  while 
sailing  through  the  reaches  of  the  Strait  of  Magel- 
lan, between  the  bluff  mainland  and  dismal  Fuego, 
where  through  intricate  sailing  I  was  obliged  to 
steer,  I  learned  to  sit  by  the  wheel,  content  to  make 
ten  miles  a  day  beating  against  the  tide,  and  when 
a  month  at  that  was  all  lost,  I  could  find  some  old 
tune  to  hum  while  I  worked  the  route  all  over 
again,  beating  as  before.  Nor  did  thirty  hours  at 
the  wheel,  in  storm,  overtax  my  human  endurance, 
and  to  clap  a  hand  to  an  oar  and  pull  into  or  out  of 
port  in  a  calm  was  no  strange  experience  for  the 
crew  of  the  Spray,  The  days  passed  happily  with 
me  wherever  my  ship  sailed. 


1^ 


/ 


./I 


. 


